Turkey wooing Egypt: Ankara's objectives from reconciliation efforts (1 – 5)
Turkey has been wooing Egypt for some time now, proving that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has no alternative but mending fences with the country, the largest and most important in the Arab region.
Improving relations with Egypt is
also a political necessity for Erdogan, especially after the coming to power in
the US by Joe Biden.
The latest Turkish remarks acquire
their importance from the fact that they were made by almost all leaders and
symbols of the Turkish regime, starting from the Turkish president to the
leaders of the ruling Justice and Development Party.
Erdogan said his country's
cooperation with Egypt in the areas of intelligence, diplomacy and the economy
continues.
There is no problem in that, he
said.
Nevertheless, he wished this cooperation
would continue and develop beyond the present limit.
Erdogan hinted at the necessity of
demarcating maritime borders with Egypt.
"The Egyptian and Turkish peoples are not
strangers to each other," the Turkish president said.
"Egyptians should not be on the side of
Greece," he added.
Egyptians' presence by Greece, he
said, is not possible, and we would like to see them where they should be.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut
Cavusoglu claimed that his country and Egypt had resumed diplomatic contacts.
He added that the two states were
on the road to restoring full normal relations.
Cavusoglu said the two countries
had not set any preconditions to restore normal relations.
Turkey said it appreciated Egypt's
respect for its continental shelf in the Mediterranean.
However, Ankara has overlooked the
fact that Egypt had never transgressed the boundaries of any country in the
past.
Chief Counselor to the Turkish
presidency İbrahim Kalın said his country would harrow for better relations
with Egypt soon as the Arab country takes one step on the road to good
relations with Turkey.
Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi
Akar said Egypt is the heart of the Arab world.
Turkey and Egypt, he said, have
close cultural and historical relations.
He added that Egypt's respect of
Turkey's maritime boundaries is beneficial to the two countries and for
regional peace as well.
