Egypt, Turkey appoint ambassadors to upgrade diplomatic relations

Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals for the first time in a decade to restore normal diplomatic relations, their foreign ministries announced on Tuesday.

The two nations' relations broke down in 2013 after Egypt's then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, an ally of Ankara. Egypt expelled Turkey's ambassador and accused Ankara of backing organisations bent on undermining the country.

They have not had ambassadors since, though Sisi, now Egypt's president, and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan agreed to reinstate them in May.

Amr Elhamamy will become Egypt's ambassador in Ankara while Turkey nominated Salih Mutlu Sen to become its ambassador in Cairo, the foreign ministries said in a joint statement.

The appointments marked an important milestone in the...