Ankara will continue to take measures against the Muslim Brotherhood
Following the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt and the decision to revoke the citizenship of the acting leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mahmoud Hussein, an academic and international relations expert working at a Turkish university suggested that Ankara will continue to take further steps against the “organization” active in Turkey.
Abdullah Quran, a university professor and head of the International Relations Department at a Turkish university, said “that “Turkey will not allow the Brotherhood leaders to reside on its soil,” adding that “the era of the organization’s leaders providing guidance and instructions to its members in Egypt from Turkish territory will come to an end completely.” He continued, stating that “both countries, Egypt and Turkey, will exchange information on terrorism and security issues after Erdogan‘s visit to Cairo, and from now on, Turkey will no longer remain a safe zone where members of the Muslim Brotherhood can move freely.”
According to the university professor, Turkey will cease its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, but it will not classify the group as a “terrorist” organization, and “Ankara will not allow this group to harm its relations with Cairo.”
He added that “Turkey, even if it does not completely sever ties with the Brotherhood following Erdogan‘s visit, will strongly curtail its relations with this organization. Ankara has already started doing so since last year, and therefore, it will reduce the level of its relations with the group to a point that will not anger Cairo.” Turkey had previously revoked its citizenship from Mahmoud Hussein, the acting guide of the Muslim Brotherhood residing in Istanbul, just days after Erdogan‘s return from Cairo.
Months ago, Turkish authorities launched a widespread campaign of raids against Muslim Brotherhood members residing in the country, detaining those without any identification, residency, or nationality. Ankara also requested two members of the group, Musab Al-Samaligi and Islam Ashraf, to leave its territory.
Additionally, Ankara imposed strict restrictions on members of the group, instructing them not to publish any negative news, blog posts, or tweets criticizing the regime in Egypt or Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. Violators of these instructions were threatened with immediate expulsion and deportation from the country.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Egypt for the first time in over 11 years, signing agreements and memoranda of understanding with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. It was also decided to resume the high-level Strategic Cooperation Council meetings between the two countries.
