A close visit of SiSi to Ankara terrifies Brotherhood

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will pay his first official visit to Turkey on July 27 in a move that will cement the recent normalization of relations between the two countries, several Turkish media outlets reported.

Egypt and Turkey said Tuesday they had appointed ambassadors to each others’ countries for the first time in a decade, in the latest sign of warming ties.

Cairo and Ankara both issued statements announcing “the upgrading of diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassador.” The two foreign ministries said the move “aims at the re-normalization of relations between the two countries and reflects the mutual will to develop bilateral relations.”

Egyptian officials said Turkey's decision to significantly reduce its support for Muslim Brotherhood members living in the country in exile was instrumental in Cairo's decision to move ahead with the normalization.

Ankara's first step was to shut down Turkish-based television channels run by the Brotherhood and which launched daily attacks on Mr El Sisi and his policies. It has also asked several Brotherhood leaders to leave the country.

Plans are under way, according to the officials, for Turkey to extradite Brotherhood members convicted in absentia in Egypt on terror charges, or on its wanted list.

These include mid-level Brotherhood leaders and members of Hasm, a violent offshoot that emerged after Mr Morsi's removal and is blamed for a series of attacks on army and police officers, said the officials.

Relations between the two nations became tense in 2013 when Egypt’s military, at the time led by Mr El Sisi, removed the country's president, Mohamed Morsi, a member of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi enjoyed the support of Turkey.

The two countries withdrew their ambassadors soon after, with accusations from Cairo that Turkey was supporting militant Islamist groups in the region and interfering in domestic affairs of Arab nations.