Egypt and Turkey on Tuesday resumed negotiations to normalise ties in a relationship that has been strained for almost a decade over many bilateral and regional issues.
Four months ago, the two countries began exploratory talks in Cairo to mend relations after goodwill gestures from Turkey.
The negotiations with Egypt, while still at an early stage and led only by deputy foreign ministers, are part of an energetic diplomatic drive by Ankara to improve frayed ties with Arab heavyweights such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The Turkish effort is motivated largely by Ankara’s wish not to lose the goodwill of some of its largest trade partners and to secure a place in plans under way to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a global energy hub after the discovery of massive natural gas reserves.
The energy plans are led by Egypt, and Turkey’s arch-rivals Greece and Cyprus. They also include Israel, Jordan, Italy and the Palestinians.
“Our friends at the ministry are meeting [Egyptian officials]. If we decide together after the meetings, we will take the necessary mutual steps to appoint an ambassador,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster NTV on Tuesday.
Egypt and Nato member Turkey have not shared ambassadors since 2013, when relations soured over the removal of Mohamed Morsi of the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood by the military, then led by head of the army and future president Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
Egypt and Turkey have also been at loggerheads over Libya, where the two backed rival factions and what Cairo sees as Ankara’s menacing support to extremist groups and military presence across much of the Middle East.
The Turkish minister also held out the possibility of striking a maritime deal with Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean, similar to the one Ankara struck with the government in Tripoli, the fractured Libyan capital, about two years ago.
That deal led to renewed tensions between Turkey and neighbouring Greece and Cyprus over energy exploration in the region. Egypt also rejected the deal.
The emergence of an anti-Turkey coalition in the East Mediterranean was a wake-up call that the deterioration in Ankara’s relations with all states in the region was dangerous
Samer Shehata
Mr Cavusoglu also proposed a summit of East Mediterranean nations to reconcile disputes over maritime borders and the exploitation of the area’s energy riches.
“Turkey and Egypt, along with other Middle Eastern states are modifying their positions as a result of changing dynamics and opportunities in the region, such as the arrival of the Biden administration,” said Samer Shehata, a Middle East expert at the University of Oklahoma.
“For Turkey … what appears to be the emergence of an anti-Turkey coalition in the East Mediterranean was a wake-up call that the deterioration in Ankara’s relations with all states in the region was dangerous.”
Mr Shehata cited as contributing factors to the growing potential for improved Cairo-Ankara relations the thaw in ties between Egypt and its Gulf Arab allies and Qatar. He listed the continuing international mediation effort to end the war in Libya, where huge business opportunities await both nations if peace is restored.
“There’s also President Recep [Tayyip] Erdogan’s realisation that the El Sisi regime was not going anywhere and that continued ideological or principled opposition to Cairo’s new rulers would bring little benefit,” he said.
Egyptian security officials said Turkey has met some conditions set by Cairo for relations to be normalised but much remains to be done by the Turkish government.
Turkey has already ordered a halt to years of scathing criticism of Mr El Sisi and his government by Turkey-based TV networks run or inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been declared a terrorist organisation in Egypt.
Egypt reciprocated by stopping personal attacks on Mr Erdogan in the pro-government media.
Ankara has also moved to restrict the Brotherhood’s political activity on Turkish soil.
More recently, said the officials, Turkish authorities slapped travel bans on Brotherhood members wanted by Egypt in connection with terror attacks, including the assassination in 2015 of chief prosecutor Hisham Barakat and senior police and army officers.
“These are individuals who planned and ordered assassinations,” said one official. “They are about 15. Some of them tried to flee Turkey when relations began to improve, but were stopped by authorities.”
The security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said senior Egyptian intelligence operatives were among the Egyptian delegation in the talks with Turkish officials. The two-day talks end on Wednesday.
The potential for improved relations between Egypt and Turkey comes at a time when Cairo’s ties with Greece and Cyprus have deepened.
Cyprus is a Greek-majority East Mediterranean island invaded by Turkey in 1974, ostensibly to protect the island’s Turkish minority after a coup by radical Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece, which was then ruled by a right-wing junta.
Turkey occupies a third of Cyprus to this day.
But the relative thaw in Cairo’s relations with Ankara appears to have had no impact on Egypt’s close ties with Greece and Cyprus, which include frequent joint war games and co-operation in a wide variety of fields.
Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades was in Cairo this week for talks with Mr El Sisi. The two leaders agreed to expedite work on an underwater pipeline to bring Cypriot natural gas to Egypt to be liquefied and exported to Europe.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was in Egypt in June, when he and Mr El Sisi agreed to forge closer relations in the fields of energy, trade and tourism.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
SPECS
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Sheer grandeur
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A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Book%20Details
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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THREE
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
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Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Racecard
6pm: The Pointe - Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
6.35pm: Palm West Beach - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (T) 1,800m
7.10pm: The View at the Palm - Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.45pm: Nakeel Graduate Stakes - Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
8.20pm: Club Vista Mare - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: The Palm Fountain - Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm: The Palm Tower - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
