Researcher Ali Bakir questioned the motives of the new diplomatic efforts between Turkey and Egypt, saying that Cairo might be looking for gains by using Ankara to restore its value in the eyes of its regional partners, or aiming to establish a delicate balance while keeping its options open with Turkey in order to secure the maximum gains with all. .
Bakker - a specialist in political risks and Turkish-Arab and Turkish-Gulf relations - indicated that what he mentioned about Egypt may explain Cairo sometimes sending mixed or conflicting messages, because it wants to open up to Turkey without losing the support of others (the UAE, Israel and Greece).
In an article for the
British Middle East Eye website, the
writer reviewed
Egypt's positive stances towards Turkey during the past years and up to last month regarding its oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, taking into account Turkey's interests and its respect of the Ankara and Tripoli Agreement The year 2019 is about maritime borders, and its assertion - at the Rome conference last December - that this agreement does not harm Egypt's interests in the eastern Mediterranean, and that it took into account Turkey's reservations on the maritime borders and islands when Cairo signed the border demarcation agreement with Athens in August. the past.
Egyptian steps
He added that Cairo recently introduced changes to its policy towards Libya, which brought it closer to Ankara.
Egypt has taken a number of steps, including sending a high-level diplomatic and security delegation to Tripoli, and announcing plans to reopen its embassy for the first time since 2014.
Bakker said that Ankara understood the Egyptian steps as positive messages, and did not pass them unnoticed.
On the third of this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the common interests between his country and Egypt, indicating Turkey's readiness to negotiate and sign a maritime jurisdiction agreement with Cairo.
Three days later, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar became involved in Egyptian diplomacy when he stressed during the tactical exercises for the Blue Nation 2021 that the two countries share historical and cultural values, hinting at the possibility of new developments.
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin supported these statements when he told the American newspaper Bloomberg that it is possible to open a new chapter in his country's relations with Egypt.
Hulusi Akar: Turkey and Egypt share historical and cultural values (Anatolia)
The changing international and regional dynamics
The writer commented that the carefully designed messages between the two countries not only respond to their common interests, but also respond to changing international and regional dynamics, noting that US President Joe Biden's victory in last year's elections prompted many countries in the region - including Egypt and Turkey - to reset their policies. To accommodate the new administration.
He also said that - and at the regional level - Egypt was not satisfied with the results of the recent Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, as the two supposed allies - Saudi Arabia and the UAE - "did not coordinate with Egypt, and did not take its interests into consideration when they agreed on reconciliation with Doha."
He explained that the Gulf reconciliation would allow Turkey to strengthen its relations with Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, as well as reach a breakthrough with Saudi Arabia and, to some extent, the Emirates, so it is possible that Cairo had calculated that it would not be in its interest to remain hostile to Turkey at a time when its partners in the Gulf and East were stopped. The Mediterranean (mainly the Emirates and Saudi Arabia) as well as Greece, Israel, and even France;
Escalation with Ankara.
The balance between Turkey and Greece
Bakker went on to say that officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Egyptian intelligence services preferred to conclude a maritime agreement with Turkey instead of Greece, because it gives Egypt a much larger maritime area, but the Egyptian presidency agreed to a deal with Athens to secure some political gains, while not closing the door to Turkey, especially after The Emirati-Israeli agreements that harmed Egypt's political, economic and strategic interests.
Bakker drew attention to the fact that in the pre-Corona epidemic, Turkey offered many temptations to Cairo.
Such as increasing the volume of bilateral trade, investment and gas imports.
The two countries' economic relations seemed immune to political fluctuations, as they rose over the past few years, and crossed the $ 5 billion threshold for the first time in 2018, and stability in Libya could enhance this cooperation to unprecedented levels if Turkey and Egypt work together to rebuild Libya.