Turkey, Egypt  FM Ministers Speak by   Phone for  First Time   

Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Egypt spoke by phone on Saturday. The Turkish foreign ministry said that it is the first direct contact with his Egyptian counterpart since the recent trend of Turkey to repair strained ties between the two regional powers.

The two ministers exchanged good wishes over the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which starts next Monday, 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.

“Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement says that Minister  Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke with Egypt’s FM Sameh Shoukry with the aim of reciprocally celebrating the month of Ramadan,” the ministry said.

Ties between Turkey and Egypt could have repercussions around the Mediterranean Sea.

They have backed rival sides in the war in Libya and 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 when the mega cargo ship named " Ever Given"  blocked the water conduit of the canal.