Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry became the first Egyptian diplomat to make official visits to Syria and Turkey in a decade yesterday after he flew to the two earthquake-hit countries for talks with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

In Damascus: Egypt will provide more aid to Syria and has already shipped 1.5k tons, Shoukry told reporters following meetings with Al Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisel Mikdad, according to Reuters. “The goal of the visit is primarily humanitarian, and to pass on our solidarity – from the leadership, the government and the people of Egypt to the people of Syria,” he said.

A return to the Arab League? Shoukry’s trip comes a day after Egypt House Speaker Hanafi Gibali traveled to Damascus as part of a delegation of Arab officials to discuss bringing the country back inside the Arab League. Syria was booted out of the organization in 2011 in response to the government’s suppression of anti-Assad protesters.

In Adana: Shoukry traveled to the quake-hit southern Turkish province of Adana for talks with Cavusoglu. The two diplomats visited the port of Mersin, to witness the arrival of a shipment of Egyptian aid.

Tentative moves: The two countries have been inching towards normalizing relations in recent months following a series of exploratory talks. President El Sisi and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan shook hands during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Turkish this month pledged to invest USD 500 mn in Egypt.

Normalizing ties: In a televised interview yesterday, Shoukry said that his visit to Syria and Turkey “reflects the interest for relations between Egypt and the two countries return to their normal status” (watch, runtime: 5:18).

El Sisi + Erdogan to meet again? “During our talks today, we exchanged views on mutual visits in the upcoming period. Our deputy foreign ministers met twice before, and it would be beneficial for them to meet again,” Reuters reports Cavusoglu as saying yesterday. “After our talks, our presidents can meet either in Turkey or Egypt.”

ALSO- El Sisi talks investment with Malaysian PM: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed potential bilateral investment in sectors including energy, CIT, and cars during a video call yesterday, according to an Ittihadiya statement.