Turkish opposition welcomes rapprochement with Egypt… What’s new?

The Turkish opposition preceded the ruling regime in calling for reconciliation with Egypt and the renunciation of the Brotherhood, so it welcomed recent steps toward such a rapprochement and described it as the regime’s recognition of its isolation.

Turkish CHP MP and CHP Deputy Chairman for Foreign Affairs Unal Cevikos said : President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party’s proposal to form a friendship group with Egypt is “a step in the right direction towards improving relations with Cairo.”

In a statement to Al-Arabiya, the Turkish MP added : “Our party earlier asked the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish parliament to send a delegation to Egypt, and we also announced that we plan to send a delegation from our party as well, and this pressure has forced the ruling party to see the reality, especially that the government it leads is living in regional and international isolation.”

He added : “The Erdoğan government is now trying to adapt to new international changes, especially since the arrival of US President Joe Biden at the White House, and is trying to get closer to the EU as well as to the countries of the region, including Egypt, which is a very important player in our region.”

He continued : “The AKP understands the importance of Egypt, so it is doing their best to manage the situation in Cairo, and as a result the authorities have stopped broadcasting TV programs on Brotherhood-affiliated channels under Egyptian conditions,” he said, adding that “Erdoğan’s party knows that correcting relations with Cairo will also help it to get along with the West.”

The Turkish MP, a former diplomat, revealed that Ankara may take similar steps to restore relations with Israel if it can improve its relations with Cairo. He also said : “The role of our party in all these developments is essential. We have been urging the PJD government to send an ambassador to Cairo since 2013, but it did not want to give the opposition the reins.”

He added : “Now the government has decided to correct its foreign policy mistakes, which is why it proposed the establishment of a friendship group with Egypt,” he said, noting that “Ankara’s counterparts know that the ruling party in the country has changed course as a result of their isolation.”