Bilateral relations between Turkey and Egypt will be restored back to normal, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a televised interview late Wednesday.
"We hope in the return of Egyptian relations, Turkey will restore relations with Egypt – relations that were based on mutual respect and noninterference in internal affairs and sovereignty of the state," Shoukry said. "I imagine that Turkey always strives to have a positive relationship … and a fortiori to take into account in its relationship with Egypt affirmative action and return to a positive framework. We are always open to having positive relationships and building the interests of both peoples," he added.
Following the July 2013 ousting of Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, and the subsequent human rights violations, diplomatic relations between Egypt and Turkey have been strained. Morsi was ousted by a military coup led by then-defense minister and current President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi following mass protests against his rule in 2013. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed support for Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood since they faced a brutal crackdown at the cost of souring relations with Egypt.
Since the coup, thousands of other Egyptians have been put in prison for supporting Morsi. Many journalists, academics and supporters of democracy have been detained and held in military facilities. Many of those who were jailed have died in custody as a result of mistreatment.
Despite the bad record of human rights violations condemned by many human rights groups, el-Sissi has been supported militarily by the Western world.
