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Home Posts Have Erdogan and el-Sisi Ironed Out Their Difficulties?

Have Erdogan and el-Sisi Ironed Out Their Difficulties?
Omer Yahalom, Gallia Lindenstrauss 8 June, 2023
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A little over six months ago, at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar, a meeting occurred that testified to the restart of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Egypt. The two presidents, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, shook hands in public, and spoke afterwards. The event was particularly noticeable given that relations between the countries deteriorated about a decade ago, when el-Sisi deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who was a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood movement and supported by Erdogan.

Even before the handshake at the World Cup, the countries began efforts toward the normalization of relations, and meetings were held between low-level delegations from both sides. The main barriers to improved relations were Erdogan's failure to recognize the legitimacy of el-Sisi's rule, the fact that Turkey allowed Egyptian exiles from the Muslim Brotherhood movement to operate and broadcast from its territory, the countries' support for the opposing sides in the civil war in Libya, and Egypt's support for the positions of Cyprus and Greece regarding the maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean.

This past March, the Turkish Foreign Minister visited Egypt and met with his Egyptian counterpart, and in April, the Egyptian Foreign Minister went to Turkey for a meeting. After Erdogan's victory in the second round of the presidential elections on May 28, el-Sisi telephoned him to congratulate him, the contacts for a meeting between the two gained momentum, and an agreement to return ambassadors to Ankara and Cairo was announced. In addition, the Egyptian Foreign Minister was present at Erdogan's presidential inauguration ceremony.

Moreover, despite the diplomatic crisis, Turkey and Egypt have maintained strong economic ties. The volume of trade between the countries continues to grow and in 2022 was about $7.7 billion (in 2021 it was about $6.7 billion). In terms of the potential in economic relations, given the geographical proximity, shipping routes, and trends in the energy market, there is hope that the volume of trade can grow in the coming years to about $20 billion.

Regarding the economic-energy dimension, the influence of the Arab Gulf countries on Turkey and Egypt is evident, from an economic point of view and their push for improved relations. This is joined by the ongoing stalemate in Libya, as well as the weakening of the Muslim Brotherhood movement at the regional level. All these contribute to the fact that at least in the short term, el-Sisi and Erdogan have managed to put aside the issues in dispute between the countries.

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  • Research

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      • Israel and the Global Powers
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      • Lebanon and Hezbollah
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