Turkey Speaks of ‘Additional Steps’ to Improve Ties with Egypt

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a trilateral foreign ministers press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Istanbul, Turkey, 27 May 2022. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a trilateral foreign ministers press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Istanbul, Turkey, 27 May 2022. (EPA)
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Turkey Speaks of ‘Additional Steps’ to Improve Ties with Egypt

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a trilateral foreign ministers press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Istanbul, Turkey, 27 May 2022. (EPA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a trilateral foreign ministers press conference with his Romanian and Polish counterparts in Istanbul, Turkey, 27 May 2022. (EPA)

Turkey said it will take “additional steps” to bolster relations with Egypt, in light of efforts to normalize bilateral ties at various levels.

“Differences might exist, but severing relations is not good,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a meeting with with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday.

“We will work to take additional steps in collaboration with Egypt in this regard,” he added, noting that Ankara wants to improve ties with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

He made his remarks days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was possible to develop the dialogue and normalize relations with Cairo.

Dialogue may develop to reach higher levels, he said in April.

Egypt and Turkey had held "exploratory" talks in recent months in order to improve their relations.

Cairo hosted the second round of talks, which officials described as "frank and deep".

They tackled bilateral ties and regional issues. The officials agreed to continue consultations.

Erdogan said in December that his country would take steps to improve ties with Egypt and Israel similar to efforts it made with the United Arab Emirates, which led to investments.

Egypt’s FM Sameh Shoukry had previously said that Turkey was keen on changing course with Egypt, especially on the security level.

He noted Turkish statements that reflect a change in behavior and that it was steering clear of meddling in Egypt's internal affairs or harboring extremists figures that are hostile to Cairo.

An informed Egyptian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo "appreciates Ankara's efforts, but tangible steps are needed to reach a greater understanding to resolve differences."



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.