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Egypt and Turkey say they held frank, in-depth talks in Cairo

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Egypt and Turkey said on Thursday they had held frank and in-depth talks on bilateral and regional issues, including the conflict in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean, in a push to rebuild their relations.

The discussions, held over two days and led by deputy foreign ministers, were the first high-level public talks for years between the two powers, who fell out over opposing positions on political Islam, maritime borders, and their backing for competing factions in Libya’s war.

Turkey has been striving to mend fences with several US-allied Arab states including Egypt after ties were strained by military interventions and political rivalries.

Egypt has so far responded cautiously to Turkish overtures.

“The discussions were frank and in-depth. They addressed bilateral issues as well as a number of regional issues, in particular the situation in Libya, Syria, Iraq, and the need to achieve peace and security in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” a joint statement said.

“The two sides will evaluate the outcome of this round of consultations and agree on the next steps.”

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