Elevation of Egyptian-Turkish diplomatic ties to help preserve regional stability: Bahrain

CAIRO – 5 July 2023: Bahrain has welcomed the agreement reached by Egypt and Turkey to elevate their diplomatic relations and appoint ambassadors, saying it would help preserve regional stability.

“This is a constructive step that would contribute to enhancing bilateral cooperation to serve the joint interests within the framework of mutual respect and the rules of the international law,” Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Such step will also help preserve security and stability in the region, the Bahraini ministry added.

Egypt and Turkey announced the elevation of their diplomatic relations to the ambassador level early on Tuesday.

Egypt has nominated Amr Al-Hammamy as its ambassador to Ankara, while Turkey has nominated Salih Mutlu Sen as its ambassador to Cairo.

The upgrade of diplomatic relations between the two countries comes as per the directives of the Egyptian and Turkish presidents and aims to re-establish normal relations between the two countries, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

This step also reflects the two countries’ “common determination to work towards strengthening their bilateral relations for the benefit of the Egyptian and Turkish peoples,” the Egyptian ministry added.

Egypt and Turkey have held talks in Ankara and Cairo over the past two years to re-establish their relations after a decade of strained relations between the two countries following the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated President, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

In May, Egypt and Turkey agreed to reinstate ambassadors with their presidents vowing to accelerate the normalization of the Egyptian-Turkish diplomatic ties amid exchanged visits by the two countries’ foreign ministers.

New Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hailed the ambassadorial appointments as an important milestone on the track of normalisation of relations, Reuters reported.

"From now on, our relations will continue to improve rapidly in political, economic and all other fields. This is the will of our president and government," Fidan told a news conference.