CAIRO – Egypt’s former ambassador in Ankara Abdel Rahman Salah has decribed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Cairo as opportunity to create a new alliance to face problems in the region.
In exclusive statements to MENA on Wednesday, the Egyptian diplomat said that the visit also aims to restore Egyptian-Turkish ties to normal after ten years of political differences, saying the Egyptian leadership is keen on ensuring the compatibility of interests between the two countries at the bilateral and regional levels.
This long-awaited visit comes at a time when both countries need the other to face what is going around, topped by rectifying the situation in the region, taking into consideration the developments related to the ongoing conflict and competition in the international system or regional competition to redraw the map of the distribution of power in the Middle East that sometimes ignores the economic interests of both Egypt and Turkey, the diplomat said.
The ongoing Gaza war has complicated regional interactions and may lead to fulfilling US promises to directly recognize the Palestinian State without the need to conclude a peace agreement, which is difficult to reach at the present time, he said.
President Erdogan needs to coordinate with Egypt to play an influential role in these interactions to conjure up Turkey’s image as a regional power, he added.
He further underlined Egypt’s regional influence and its key role serves as a link between the Middle East and international decision-making centers.
The return of cooperation between Cairo and Ankara could provide Egypt with additional resources to increase its capabilities and influence and its regional and international power, he said.
The current stage of development of Egyptian-Turkish relations raises several bilateral and regional issues that should be discussed, taking into account their repercussions, he added.
He also stressed the necessity of taking advantage of the Turkish president’s visit to Cairo and what the Egyptian government, commercial and cultural side could put forward for discussion during this important visit to both countries.
That there are vast opportunities for joint co-operation between the two countries at the regional and bilateral levels, he said.
He hoped that President Erdogan’s visit to Egypt will be a birth certificate for a new phase of close ties between Cairo and Ankara.
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