Egyptian-Turkish consultations were held on Wednesday in Egypt’s foreign ministry headquarters for the first time since 2013.

The two sides were set to discuss issues in a “new era of normalization” between Egypt and Turkey.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement before the talks that the two-day “exploratory” consultations will be led by Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Loza and Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sedat Onal, adding that the talks will begin on Wednesday and conclude the following day.

The statement added that discussions will focus on the necessary steps that will lead to the normalization of relations between the two regional rivals.

Experts said that discussions between both countries will focus on regional and international issues, most notably the Eastern Mediterranean gas issue, maritime delimitation and the future of Libya.

Both sides are also expected to discuss security coordination regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, after Egypt demanded the extradition of several members who reside in Turkey.

The issue of hostilities and attacks on Egypt by extremist groups from Turkish territory are also likely to be raised by Cairo in the talks, experts have said.

Last February, Turkey announced the resumption of diplomatic contact with Egypt And ordered Egyptian opposition media outlets operating in its territory to “de-escalate attacks” against Egyptian authorities.

-Arab News