Turkey and Egypt could negotiate and sign an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime border in the eastern Mediterranean, if relations allow such a step, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu told Reuters.

Relations between Cairo and Ankara have escalated after the Egyptian army overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Mursi, an ally of President Tayyip Erdogan in 2013.

In January, Egypt announced the start of a tender for the exploration and development of oil and natural gas in 24 blocks, including the Mediterranean Sea.

Cavusoglu said at a press conference that Egypt's exploration applications take into account Turkey's continental shelf in this region, and Ankara assesses this positively.

“As the two countries with the longest coastlines in the eastern Mediterranean, if our ties and the conditions allow it, we can also negotiate a maritime demarcation deal with Egypt and sign it amongst ourselves,” Cavusoglu said.