Can Ankara-Riyadh rapprochement help improve Turkey-Egypt ties?
Although Ankara has secured several diplomatic strides by normalizing its relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, rapprochement with Egypt still seems a challenging prospect.
Turkey’s efforts to turn a fresh leaf with its former Arab rivals have so far been fraught with U-turns and unilateral concessions from Ankara. Despite the recent thaws with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Egypt seems to be hesitant, and it remains unclear how much President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April 28 visit to Saudi Arabia help normalize relations with Cairo.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been two major Arab countries that were disgruntled by Ankara’s intrusive policies vis-a-vis the Arab world. Ankara’s strong support of the Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the Arab Spring, its military and political alliance with Qatar and neo-Ottoman ambitions have been among the major contention points. Ankara’s latest diplomatic push to mend ties with Arab countries seems to be fueled by Turkey’s economic problems as Erdogan tries to improve his country’s economic outlook ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.
