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Ankara has said Turkey has not been invited to participate in the opening of the New Suez Canal, denying news reports suggesting that Egypt had sent an official invitation to Turkey as part of a move to mend icy relations between the two countries.
According to Turkish media reports, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said during a press conference on Wednesday that there had been no official invitation by Egypt at this point for the inauguration ceremony of the New Suez Canal on Aug. 6.
An official from the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara confirmed Bilgiç's statements and told Today's Zaman on Friday that the embassy had not sent an official invitation to any of the Turkish authorities.
In mid-July, the English-language news website of the daily Al-Ahram cited Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry as having invited all countries in the world, including Turkey with whom Egypt has strained ties, to the opening of the New Suez Canal. The daily further reported that Shoukry said it would be illogical to only invite specific countries to the inauguration ceremony as it is related to international commerce. The news quickly spread in Turkish media, leading the Turkish Foreign Ministry to clarify the fact that Shoukry's invitation was only a spoken one.
Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been poor since the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi by the country's military in July 2013. Turkey's refusal to accept Morsi's ouster prompted the Egyptian government to cut ties with Turkey and expel the Turkish ambassador from Cairo. Ankara responded in kind, declaring Egypt's ambassador to Turkey persona non grata.
Muhsin Karagülle, Ankara (Cihan/Today's Zaman)
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