Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has condemned terrorist attacks in North Sinai and said his country “will continue to maintain its solidarity with the Egyptian people."
On Sunday, Islamic State affiliate Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for two attacks in the Sinai Peninsula.
The first attack was a roadside bomb and the second was a car bomb targeting a police station in Al-Arish, the capital of North Sinai governorate, which killed at least 14 people.
Since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi ties between Egypt and Turkey have been strained because of the latter’s backing for Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Over the course of Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's presidency, the relationship between the countries has deteriorated. They have been trading criticisms and accusations over various issues which ultimately led both countries to withdraw their ambassadors in 2013.
Turkey maintains El-Sisi is not the legitimate president because it claims the ouster of Morsi was a coup.
While Turkey likes to take a clear stance against terrorism it has also been widely accused of funding terrorist groups.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has accused Turkey of supporting and funding terrorism in order “to achieve the personal ambitions of the Turkish president and revive illusions of the past."
