ANKARA

Turkey and Egypt on Wednesday ended a second round of exploratory consultations by agreeing to continue the talks.

A joint statement by the Turkish and Egyptian foreign ministries on Wednesday confirmed the two sides' "desire to make progress in areas under discussion and the need for further steps to facilitate normalization of their relations."

"The second round of consultations between the delegations headed by Ambassador Sedat Onal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, and Ambassador Hamdi Sanad Loza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, was held in Ankara” on Tuesday and Wednesday, said the statement.

It also said Turkish and Egyptian officials had "addressed bilateral issues as well as a number of regional topics, such as the situation in Libya, Syria, Palestine, and the Eastern Mediterranean."

Since 2013, ties between Turkey and Egypt have been carried out at the lower level of charge d'affaires. During this period, brief meetings were also held on various occasions between the two countries’ foreign ministers.

​​​​​​​Meanwhile, the Turkish Embassy in Cairo and Consulate in Alexandria, as well as the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara and Consulate in Istanbul have continued their normal operations.