{"id":4347,"date":"2023-02-28T01:15:33","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T01:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4347"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:53:28","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:53:28","slug":"egypts-foreign-minister-visits-syria-turkey-to-ease-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/diplomatic-world\/egypts-foreign-minister-visits-syria-turkey-to-ease-tensions\/2023\/02\/28\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt’s foreign minister visits Syria, Turkey to ease tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

DAMASCUS(Reuters) – Egypt’s foreign minister met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the first visits to Syria and Turkey by a top Egyptian diplomat in a decade.<\/p>\n

Egypt’s<\/span> Foreign<\/span> Minister<\/span> Sameh<\/span> Shoukri<\/span> told<\/span> reporters<\/span> in<\/span> Damascus,<\/span> “The<\/span> purpose<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> visit<\/span> is<\/span> primarily<\/span> humanitarian<\/span> and<\/span> to<\/span> convey<\/span> our<\/span> solidarity<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> leadership,<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> people,<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> people<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> people.”<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Shukry<\/span> also<\/span> told<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> local<\/span> TV<\/span> channel<\/span> Ten<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> visit<\/span> showed<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> countries’<\/span> willingness<\/span> to<\/span> turn<\/span> the<\/span> tide.<\/span> The<\/span> visit<\/span> “reflects<\/span> Egypt’s<\/span> interest<\/span> in<\/span> restoring<\/span> normal<\/span> relations<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> countries,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“When<\/span> an<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> foreign<\/span> minister<\/span> comes<\/span> to<\/span> Damascus,<\/span> he<\/span> comes<\/span> to<\/span> his<\/span> hometown,<\/span> his<\/span> people<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> country,”<\/span> Meqdad<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> earthquake<\/span> killed<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 5,900<\/span> of<\/span> her<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Syria,<\/span> most<\/span> of<\/span> them<\/span> living<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebel-controlled<\/span> northwest.<\/span> In<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> has<\/span> exceeded<\/span> 44,000.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Arab<\/span> League<\/span> suspended<\/span> Syria<\/span> for<\/span> her<\/span> deadly<\/span> government<\/span> crackdown<\/span> on<\/span> protests<\/span> in<\/span> 2011,<\/span> and<\/span> many<\/span> US-allied<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries<\/span> supported<\/span> the<\/span> opposition<\/span> to<\/span> overthrow<\/span> Assad.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>However,<\/span> many<\/span> Arab<\/span> countries,<\/span> especially<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Arab<\/span> Emirates,<\/span> have<\/span> changed<\/span> their<\/span> approach<\/span> to<\/span> normalizing<\/span> relations<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> years<\/span> after<\/span> Assad<\/span> defeated<\/span> rebel<\/span> enemies<\/span> in<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> help<\/span> of<\/span> Iran<\/span> and<\/span> Russia.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Shoukry<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> answer<\/span> reporters’<\/span> questions<\/span> about<\/span> whether<\/span> Egypt<\/span> would<\/span> support<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> League’s<\/span> lifting<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> ban.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Dialogue<\/span> with<\/span> Damascus<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Relations<\/span> between<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> Egypt<\/span> were<\/span> temporarily<\/span> suspended<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> Muslim<\/span> Brotherhood-led<\/span> government<\/span> of<\/span> President<\/span> Mohammed<\/span> Morsi.<\/span> Egypt<\/span> reopened<\/span> its<\/span> embassy<\/span> in<\/span> Syria<\/span> in<\/span> 2013<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> military<\/span> ousted<\/span> Morsi<\/span> from<\/span> power<\/span> but<\/span> kept<\/span> Assad<\/span> at<\/span> bay.<\/span> Shoukry<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> met<\/span> Mekdad<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> bystander<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> 2021<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> General<\/span> Assembly.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> President<\/span> Abdel<\/span> Fattah<\/span> al-Sisi<\/span> spoke<\/span> to<\/span> Assad<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> time<\/span> by<\/span> phone,<\/span> and<\/span> on<\/span> Sunday,<\/span> a<\/span> delegation<\/span> of<\/span> parliamentarians<\/span> from<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> region,<\/span> including<\/span> the<\/span> head<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> parliament,<\/span> met<\/span> Assad<\/span> in<\/span> Damascus.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Washington<\/span> has<\/span> opposed<\/span> any<\/span> move<\/span> to<\/span> restore<\/span> or<\/span> normalize<\/span> relations<\/span> with<\/span> Assad,<\/span> citing<\/span> his<\/span> administration’s<\/span> brutality<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> conflict<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> need<\/span> to<\/span> move<\/span> toward<\/span> a<\/span> political<\/span> settlement.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Saudi<\/span> Arabia,<\/span> which<\/span> is<\/span> at<\/span> odds<\/span> with<\/span> Assad,<\/span> says<\/span> there<\/span> is<\/span> a<\/span> growing<\/span> consensus<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Arab<\/span> world<\/span> that<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> isolation<\/span> is<\/span> not<\/span> working,<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> dialogue<\/span> with<\/span> Damascus<\/span> is<\/span> needed<\/span> at<\/span> some<\/span> point,<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> to<\/span> address<\/span> the<\/span> humanitarian<\/span> issue.<\/span> said.<\/span> Shoukry<\/span> also<\/span> visited<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> noted<\/span> another<\/span> change<\/span> in<\/span> Egypt’s<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> relations.<\/span> He<\/span> met<\/span> Kabsoglu<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> southern<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Adana,<\/span> which<\/span> was<\/span> also<\/span> hit<\/span> by<\/span> an<\/span> earthquake.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkish<\/span> and<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> ministers<\/span> then<\/span> visited<\/span> the<\/span> port<\/span> of<\/span> Mersin,<\/span> where<\/span> an<\/span> Egyptian<\/span> relief<\/span> ship<\/span> called<\/span> on<\/span> Monday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Diplomatic<\/span> ties<\/span> between<\/span> Egypt<\/span> and<\/span> Turkey<\/span> were<\/span> severed<\/span> in<\/span> 2013<\/span> after<\/span> Sisi<\/span> led<\/span> the<\/span> ouster<\/span> of<\/span> Morsi,<\/span> who<\/span> was<\/span> backed<\/span> by<\/span> Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> Islamist-rooted<\/span> AK<\/span> party.<\/span> However,<\/span> a<\/span> settlement<\/span> is<\/span> underway.<\/span> President<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> and<\/span> President<\/span> Sisi<\/span> shook<\/span> hands<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> 2022<\/span> Qatar<\/span> World<\/span> Cup.<\/span> Qatar<\/span> is<\/span> another<\/span> country<\/span> with<\/span> which<\/span> Egypt<\/span> has<\/span> re-established<\/span> ties.<\/span> A<\/span> Turkish<\/span> company<\/span> pledged<\/span> her<\/span> $500<\/span> million<\/span> in<\/span> new<\/span> investments<\/span> in<\/span> Egypt<\/span> this<\/span> month.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAMASCUS(Reuters) – Egypt’s foreign minister met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in the first visits to Syria and Turkey by a top Egyptian diplomat in a decade. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri told reporters in Damascus, “The purpose of the visit is primarily humanitarian and to convey our solidarity with […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[24,280,2450,2459,2480],"tags":[1238,1239,1240,1241,1242,1243,1244,1245,1246,1247,1248,471,487,1237],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/BVGJFRJY5ZITZKOQRGGQTPPBJQ.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4349,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4347\/revisions\/4349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}