Will Turkey’s efforts to woo Egypt yield fruit?
Egypt and Turkey began talks in Cairo today aimed at reseting ties after nearly eight years of a diplomatic rift.
The first Turkish-Egyptian talks since 2013 are underway in Cairo, in line with Ankara’s efforts to end its growing diplomatic isolation.
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal is leading the delegation in the talks, which were initiated by Ankara. The two-day “political consultations” are being chaired on the Egyptian side by Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Loza.
The talks follow a year of indirect and direct contact between Turkey and Egypt to avoid a confrontation in Libya, where the two countries have backed opposing parties in that country’s civil conflict, according to Egyptian officials cited by the media.
Turkey’s overtures mark a sharp U-turn. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long championed fellow Islamist Mohammed Morsi, who was toppled by the military in 2013 and replaced by a former general, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Turkey’s warm embrace of the Muslim Brotherhood, designated as terrorists by Cairo, led to a sharp decline in relations, though trade between the two countries remains robust, standing at almost $5 billion in 2020.
