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Egyptian, Turkish Ministers Hold First Call Since Ankara's Push to Repair Ties

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends a news conference in Cairo, July 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends a news conference in Cairo, July 27, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egyptian, Turkish Ministers Hold First Call Since Ankara's Push to Repair Ties

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends a news conference in Cairo, July 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends a news conference in Cairo, July 27, 2020. (Reuters)

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Egypt spoke by phone on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry said, their first direct contact since a push by Ankara to improve strained ties between the regional powerhouses.

The two ministers exchanged good wishes over the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which starts next week, the ministry added, but gave no further details.

Last month, Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt and wanted to improve cooperation after years of tensions since the Egyptian army toppled a Muslim Brotherhood president close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2013.

“Our Minister Mr. Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry with the aim of reciprocally celebrating the month of Ramadan,” the ministry said.

A thaw in ties between the two nations could have repercussions around the Mediterranean. They have sealed conflicting maritime deals with other coastal states.

Cairo has said Turkey’s actions “must show alignment with Egyptian principles” to normalize ties.

Last month, Ankara asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate criticism of Cairo, in the first concrete step to ease tensions. It also offered to help Egypt resolve a blockage on the Suez Canal.

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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city.
No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said.
The RSF has not commented on the incident, Reuters said.
The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months but the strikes had not inflicted heavy casualties.
The drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment.
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
Port Sudan, home to the country's primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation.
In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in west Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.