Egypt calls on Türkiye to withdraw troops from Syria

IN CAIRO - Egypt's foreign minister on Thursday called on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Syria, a sign of persistent tensions despite efforts by Ankara and Cairo to re-establish ties.

“I said that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria should be preserved. I also said that foreign forces should withdraw from the territory of Syria,” said the head of Egyptian diplomacy Sameh Choukrevisited Thursday in Ankaras on his exchanges with his Turkish counterpart during a joint press conference.

"We are tied more than anyone" to the territorial integrity of Syria" replied the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Cairo and Ankara have been cold since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2013 after the overthrow of President Mohammad Mursi who was close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.