In a surprising statement, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has said that Turkey needs to mend its ties with Egypt, but the minister added that it should be Egypt which first breaks the deadlock.
Arınç's remarks came on Monday during an interview with TV channel Al Jazeera Türk.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has regularly spoken critically of Egypt's former military leader and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, saying that he came to power via a military coup and has no legitimacy. Erdoğan is known to be a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political Islamist group which was ousted from power by Sisi and is now considered to be a terrorist organization by the Egyptian authorities.
Arınç also said that Turkey's relations with the Gulf States will be improved sooner rather than later. Turkey's relationship with a number of Gulf countries has been sour due to Erdoğan's criticism of Sisi. During the 2014 UN Security Council election for five non-permanent seats in October, Saudi Arabia and Egypt reportedly lobbied against Turkey's bid for a place.
Arınç also said that the first step to fix the relationship between Turkey and Egypt should come from Egypt, but noted that it is equally important that both sides prepare the conditions to mend ties.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned Erdoğan in July that Turkey cannot contribute to peace in the Middle East without mending relations with Egypt, a key actor in the region with the power to contribute toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Today's Zaman has learned.
(Cihan/Today's Zaman)
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