Egypt, Turkey talks on the brink of failure.. Has Al-Sissi made up his mind?

Over the past week, Egyptian President Abdoul Fattah al-Sissi held two separate sessions of talks, of great importance as observers describe, due to the nature of the topics discussed regarding the country’s regional axis. The first was with Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Najla al-Mangoush, and the second was with Greek Prime Minister Kyriákos Mitsotákis.

Observers considered that the statements that followed the two meetings confirmed in their contents Egypt’s adherence to its position toward the resolution of the Libyan crisis and the withdrawal of mercenaries from the country as soon as possible, as well as its firm position on the current partners of the Eastern Mediterranean, which reflects in a large way the understandings between Egypt and Turkey, and suggests that the fate of the negotiations has ended in failure, as they put it.

During his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister on Monday, the Egyptian president stressed the consistency of the common positions between the two countries and the consistency of their interests in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

According to the Egyptian Presidential Spokesperson, the meeting witnessed an exchange of views and views on regional issues of common interest, in light of the consistency of the common positions between the two countries and the consistency of their interests in the Eastern Mediterranean region, stressing that the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum is one of the most important tools in this regard, which will open the horizons for cooperation and investment among the countries of the region in the field of energy and gas.

A few days ago, the Egyptian President received the Libyan Foreign Minister, stressing the need for the departure of mercenaries as a first step to resolving the crisis in the country.

Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt’s position is firm on the Libyan issue, its territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the Libyan people’s will without foreign interference.

Dalia Ziada, director of the Egyptian Center for Free Democratic Studies, said that the initial talks on reconciliation between Egypt and Turkey face a real threat of failure, due to the lack of agreement between the two parties on key issues that neither of them can forget or ignore under the influence of Eid greetings calls and other diplomatic courtesies, foremost of which is the position on the Brotherhood and the Turkish military presence inside Libya.

In a statement to Sky News Arabia, Ziada said that there are several indications that clearly indicate that the talks have stopped and that we might witness a decline in the relationship between the two countries in the coming days if the situation is not remedied.

The first of these signals was Sissi’s speech in the press conference that followed his meeting with the Greek Prime Minister on Monday, where he stressed Egypt’s firm position on the conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean and the need for all states to respect international law and United Nations conventions, especially the principles of non-intervention and respect for sovereignty and territorial waters of other states.

Al-Sissi stressed Egypt’s solidarity with Greece against any practices that would violate its sovereignty.

Although the Egyptian president did not explicitly name Turkey, it is quite clear to anyone who follows this file and carries a strong message for Turkey that differs somewhat from the softer position Egypt has taken on the Mediterranean issue in the past three months.

She points out : “In addition, yesterday Sisi met with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, who is known for her position strongly rejecting Turkey’s military presence inside Libya. Sisi praised her position as a ‘patriotic stance’ and told her we support you in your call to expel mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya.”

She continues : “Moreover, the second round of exploratory diplomatic talks between Egypt and Turkey at the level of deputy foreign ministers was supposed to be held these days, but this did not happen, and it may have been postponed or canceled.”

“The reasons for this are most likely due to the wide objection we have seen inside Turkey to the judicial rulings issued against the Brotherhood leaders in the Rabaa sit-in case, which contradicts the main principle that Egypt insists on establishing its new relationship with Turkey, which is the principle of non-interference in Egypt’s internal affairs,” she said.

She concludes by saying that all these indicators tell one thing very clearly: “Unfortunately, the Egyptian-Turkish talks are now on the verge of failure.”