Turkey eager to fully cooperate with Egypt and the Gulf states
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is keen to work with Egypt and the Gulf states: “We have opportunities for serious cooperation with Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean (…). We hope to increase it to the fullest extent.”
The statement is most probably the result of a two-day meeting held in Cairo between Egyptian and Turkish officials about a month ago.
After those meetings, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry considered signs of Turkey’s desire to change its course towards Egypt, especially in the security field.
He also indicated Turkish statements that showed a shift in behaviour, distancing from interfering in Egyptian affairs or sponsoring extremist elements hostile to Cairo.
The minister stressed that the Turkish initiatives led to an increase in political communication, which he described as deep “exploratory consultations.” Those are expected to modify Turkish politics positioning to not intersect with Egyptian interests, especially when it is related to national security.
“There will be other exploratory rounds that will lead to the normalization of relations when we are assured that the Egyptian interests are fully taken into account,” he stressed.
It is noteworthy that, last March, Turkey announced the resumption of its diplomatic contacts with Egypt and requested the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood media operating in Turkish lands to change the tone towards the authorities in Cairo.
On 5 and 6 May 5, a Turkish delegation headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sadat Onal held the first visit of its kind since 2013 for the “exploratory talks” in Cairo with Egyptian officials led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Sanad Loza.
