Egypt partners with Google to promote 'unmatched diversity' tourism campaign    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Taiwan GDP surges on tech demand    World Bank: Global commodity prices to fall 17% by '26    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    UNFPA Egypt, Bayer sign agreement to promote reproductive health    Egypt to boost marine protection with new tech partnership    France's harmonised inflation eases slightly in April    Eygpt's El-Sherbiny directs new cities to brace for adverse weather    CBE governor meets Beijing delegation to discuss economic, financial cooperation    Egypt's investment authority GAFI hosts forum with China to link business, innovation leaders    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's Gypto Pharma, US Dawa Pharmaceuticals sign strategic alliance    Egypt's Foreign Minister calls new Somali counterpart, reaffirms support    "5,000 Years of Civilizational Dialogue" theme for Korea-Egypt 30th anniversary event    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Angola's Lourenço discuss ties, African security in Cairo talks    Egypt's Al-Mashat urges lower borrowing costs, more debt swaps at UN forum    Two new recycling projects launched in Egypt with EGP 1.7bn investment    Egypt's ambassador to Palestine congratulates Al-Sheikh on new senior state role    Egypt pleads before ICJ over Israel's obligations in occupied Palestine    Sudan conflict, bilateral ties dominate talks between Al-Sisi, Al-Burhan in Cairo    Cairo's Madinaty and Katameya Dunes Golf Courses set to host 2025 Pan Arab Golf Championship from May 7-10    Egypt's Ministry of Health launches trachoma elimination campaign in 7 governorates    EHA explores strategic partnership with Türkiye's Modest Group    Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan opens 5th round of Film Consultancy Programme for Arab filmmakers    Fourth Cairo Photo Week set for May, expanding across 14 Downtown locations    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Ancient military commander's tomb unearthed in Ismailia    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM praises ties with Tanzania    Egypt to host global celebration for Grand Egyptian Museum opening on July 3    Ancient Egyptian royal tomb unearthed in Sohag    Egypt hosts World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Somabay for 3rd consecutive year    Egyptian Minister praises Nile Basin consultations, voices GERD concerns    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



An Egyptian-Turkish thaw?
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 05 - 04 - 2016

In a few days, Anatolia will serve as the stage for an important development when the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) holds its 13th summit in Istanbul on 10-15 April. Egypt, which currently chairs the organisation, will presumably hand over the presidency to the host country Turkey, but there has been little love lost between the two countries over the past three years.
As a result, this year's OIC Summit has stirred considerable interest, especially in the light of recent statements by OIC Secretary-General Iyad bin Amin Madani regarding new efforts to promote reconciliation between Cairo and Ankara.
Madani has expressed his hope that the handover of the presidency will serve to demonstrate that Islamic countries can overcome their disputes. Saudi King Salman bin Abdel-Aziz has already also attempted to induce a thaw, and following his three-day visit to Cairo this week he will set off for Istanbul.
But lest imaginations stray too far, Madani was careful to stress that nothing specific has been established so far.
If talks on this matter do proceed, which appears likely in the light of recent third-party efforts, the results will still depend on the will of the two main actors, Egypt and Turkey.
In the opinion of neutral observers, the ball is currently in the Turkish court, and so far that side has a record of taking two steps forward and three steps back.
A prime instance of this took place a couple of years ago at the inaugural ceremonies of the UN General Assembly session in New York. At Ankara's request, a meeting had been arranged on the fringes of the occasion between the Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers, but then Ankara cancelled at the last moment.
Moreover, the then Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyep Erdogan, gave his then foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, a harsh dressing-down for having taken such a decision without consulting him first.
Erdogan's positions have not changed since becoming president. However, he now seems ready to countenance meetings between Turkish officials and their Egyptian counterparts so long as they are not at a leadership level.
Therefore, in accordance with instructions from Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who appears keen to mend fences in spite of enormous differences of opinion between the two sides, his minister of foreign affairs congratulated his Egyptian counterpart on the occasion of his birthday four months ago.
It was even reported that the two had met in a European capital.
However, Erdogan then undermined such gestures of good will in his own idiosyncratic way. There would be no talks with the “Egyptian regime” until the Muslim Brotherhood leaders and former president Mohamed Morsi were released from prison, he proclaimed.
Cavusoglu has tried to smooth things over to get the ball rolling again. He has stressed how important it is that Egypt attend the Islamic Conference summit, which should be understood as participating in an international conference.
He also indicated that bilateral meetings had been held with Egyptian officials on many international occasions and therefore there should be no problem in holding bilateral talks. He also stressed the importance of the role of a strong Egypt to the region as a whole.
But only 24 hours later, an unanticipated development occurred that stunned decision-making circles in Ankara and Erdogan in particular. A US Congressional committee approved a bill to brand the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation.
Naturally, Erdogan hit the ceiling of his multi-million dollar Ak Saray Palace and dispatched his official spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, to caution against the US drive to brand the Brotherhood as terrorists.
The Muslim Brothers “have not been involved in any acts of violence over the past four years,” said Kalin on behalf of Erdogan, thereby negating all the positive effects that Cavusoglu had sought to produce.
Clearly, there are major contradictions and inconsistencies in the halls of power in Ankara. The government, which is to say the cabinet, is not all that interested in the Muslim Brotherhood “cause” and seems ready to drop it if this will advance Turkey's interests.
This seems to be the pragmatic stance of Davutoglu and a significant segment of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Erdogan, on the other hand, knows very well that he has set impossible-to-meet conditions in improving relations with Egypt.


Clic here to read the story from its source.