The handshake held between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Qatari capital Doha sparked widespread reactions in the two countries, especially on social media. And the handshake that took place yesterday on the sidelines of the opening of the World Cup, the President of Turkey considered “the first step towards further normalization of relations between the two countries”, adding that other steps will follow.
According to the Haberturk channel, which reported on Erdogan’s remarks on the plane on the return flight from Qatar, the Turkish president said: “Ankara’s only request to Egypt is to change its approach to Turkey’s status in the Mediterranean.” The Turkish President added that he would like the meetings with Egypt to be held at a higher level and to resume negotiations on the normalization of relations.
The Turkish Ambassador to Cairo started attending many events in Cairo and visited the Zamalek Egyptian club in Mit Okba. Egyptian businessmen have also spoken of apparent openness in strained relations since 2014.