Bulent Turan, deputy head of the Turkish Parliamentary Bloc for Justice and Development, announced that the party will present Tuesday a proposal to head the parliament in order to form a friendship group with Egypt and Libya.
In a press conference held in Parliament today, Turan expressed his belief that establishing a friendship group with Egypt would benefit both countries and their relations.
He added that we will present the proposal today, and we will follow up the matter with the relevant directorates in the Presidency of Parliament.
Turkish and Egyptian officials recently released positive statements about bilateral relations, and the two countries have also adopted positions indicating an expected improvement in their relations, after more than 7 years of political estrangement.
Turan indicated that they would also submit a proposal to form a friendship group with Libya.
Upward spiraling improvement
The Libyan-Turkish relations have witnessed a steady improvement since the two sides signed two memoranda of understanding related to security and military cooperation, and the delineation of maritime jurisdiction areas on November 27, 2019.
For his part, Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Shantoub stressed the importance of forming parliamentary friendship groups with Egypt and Libya, noting that it is an important part of parliamentary diplomacy.
In a press statement, Shantoub indicated that the ruling Justice and Development Party submitted a proposal to head the parliament in order to form a friendship group with Egypt, after an 8-year hiatus from the previously existing friendship group.
He added that there are friendship groups that have been established with many countries, expressing his welcome to take a step towards establishing a friendship group with Egypt that would be of benefit.