Turkish foreign minister says new period starting in Egypt ties
April 14, 2021, 9:59 am

Turkish foreign minister says new period starting in Egypt ties

Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Turkey’s foreign minister said a new period was beginning in Ankara’s ties with Egypt with senior officials from the two countries set to hold talks, broadcaster NTV said on Wednesday.

Last month Turkey said it had resumed diplomatic contacts with Egypt and wanted further cooperation after years of tension since the Egyptian army toppled a Muslim Brotherhood president close to Ankara.

A thaw in ties between the regional powers could have repercussions around the Mediterranean. They have backed rival sides in the war in Libya and sealed conflicting maritime deals with other coastal states.

“A new period is beginning,” NTV reported Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying of ties with Egypt.

Asked about possible ambassadorial appointments, Cavusoglu said: “We have not discussed (that) yet. There will be a meeting at the level of deputy ministers and diplomats. It will come onto the agenda there. A date is not clear yet.”

“After that, we will meet. The details of this will be discussed there,” he said, raising the prospect of mutual visits.

Cavusoglu and his Egyptian counterpart spoke by phone on Saturday and exchanged good wishes over the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, their first direct contact since the diplomatic push began.

Cairo has said Turkey’s actions “must show alignment with Egyptian principles” to normalize ties. Last month, Ankara asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate criticism of Cairo, in the first concrete step to ease tensions.

source: Reuters

Image source: Reuters

Levant

Saudi Arabia’s Ithra celebrates Ramadan with cultural events, activities Iran’s President Rouhani says enrichment plans an answer to ‘evilness’

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.