Ankara's relations with Cairo still frosty despite Saudi mediation

Saudi Arabia is reportedly working for a thaw between Ankara and Cairo, but little is likely to change before the general elections in Turkey.
Supporters of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood take part in a rally to protest against the death penalties for the members of the radical group in Egypt, near the Egyptian embassy in Ankara on April 18, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Supporters of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood participate in a rally to protest against the death penalties for the members of the group in Egypt, near the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara, April 18, 2014. - ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
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Semih Idiz

Reports have started appearing in the Arab media suggesting that influential Gulf states spearheaded by Saudi Arabia are pushing for reconciliation between Turkey and Egypt.

Political developments in Turkey, which heads for general elections in a few weeks, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent remarks concerning Egypt, do not make for a very propitious environment, though, for fence-mending between Ankara and Cairo at this time.

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