Egypt continues to warn Turkey over Muslim Brotherhood ties and Libya intervention

Egypt and Turkey have long sought a remarkable diplomatic rapprochement in order to strengthen political ties between the two important nations. One of the main obstacles has been the close relationship between the Eurasian country and the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation considered terrorist by nations such as Egypt and the United States. 

There have also been many differences regarding Turkey's involvement in the Libyan civil war, where the country led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been present supporting the faction of Fayez al-Sarraj's Government of National Accord by sending mercenaries from Syria allegedly attached to groups with jihadist links, as has been reported by various media outlets. All of this by meddling in Libya's internal affairs and facing a rival side led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who has been supported by Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates. 

Although Turkey has taken positive steps towards reaching a good understanding with Egypt, such as giving a warning to several national media outlets with content close to the Brotherhood that attacked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, certain aspects are still required in order to have full diplomatic relations. 

In this vein, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in an interview with the Egyptian channel Cairo and the People on Saturday that "the normalisation of relations with Turkey is not only conditional on the way Ankara deals with the Brotherhood, but also with the issue of Libya", as reported by Al-Ain News. 

In this regard, the Egyptian foreign minister said that "normal relations between countries should be based on non-interference in internal affairs". "It is important to observe the rules of international law not to interfere in internal affairs and not to make territories a station and a springboard for hostile elements targeting the population of another country. If this is a stable issue, this is considered a positive development," he said. 

The Egyptian foreign minister explained that "the Libyan issue represents a national security issue for Egypt, and it is an issue related to stability and Libya's commitment to the political path that has been approved". All this with respect to an issue such as the Libyan civil war that affects Egypt as a close neighbour in the North African region and referring to the democratic progress in Libya itself with the election of the transitional government led by Abdul Hamid Dbeiba, in charge of leading the nation until the next elections. 

Shoukry noted that "Turkey's decision to ban the Brotherhood's media activities and stop their incitement is a positive step, consistent with the rules of international law," referring to moves to normalise relations. He stressed that "the continuation of these policies means normalising relations between the two countries and reaching an optimal framework of relations".

After several years of expansionist policies and interference in the affairs of other countries, such as Libya and Syria, Turkey has in recent months launched a diplomatic offensive to resume relations with Egypt and other countries such as Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. The last confrontation with Ankara took place in June 2017, when Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Manama and Cairo imposed a blockade on Turkey's only partner in the region: Qatar. Finally, under pressure from the US and with no apparent benefits in the aftermath, the Gulf allies and Egypt lifted the blockade on the Qatari state, and normalised relations, which was sealed with the Al-Ula declaration.

Meanwhile, Turkey has also sought to open up internationally to avoid its isolation in the eastern Mediterranean, where it has pursued an expansionist policy through maritime prospecting in an attempt to obtain new energy resources, in the face of complaints from various countries such as Greece and Cyprus regarding alleged violations of its own maritime borders. 

The poor relations between Egypt and Turkey that have dragged on for the past eight years seem to have improved. The Muslim Brotherhood has been the main problem since the coup that ended Mohamed Morsi's rule in Egypt in 2013 and caused Turkey to sever all diplomatic relations with the North African country. Since then, Cairo has been fighting against the Brotherhood, which has found in Turkey its greatest political ally. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's interest in gaining a stronger presence in the Middle East and the Mediterranean has led him to change his tactics on the international stage, sidelining the Muslim Brotherhood in favour of other regional powers.