Turkey realigns its relations with Egypt and gulf rivals

Turkish and Egyptian officials are to meet around a table on Tuesday amid a thaw in relations between Turkey and its Arab neighbors after nearly a decade of mutual mistrust and often outright hostility.

The Ankara meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers is the second round of Turkey-Egypt talks after the Cairo summit in May_ which was the first direct high-level talks between the countries since 2013.

The contact is the latest between Turkey and the Arab states with which it fell out following the Arab Spring of 2011_ which saw anti-government movements in the Middle East and North Africa overthrow a number of leaders of the long-standing and threatening others.

Turkey_ which has supported groups close to the Muslim Brotherhood_ saw its chance to seize a leading role in the region and pressured Arab regimes to reform in the face of popular protest.

Instead_ many of those she supported suffered setbacks and Ankara found herself isolated.

In Egypt_ a rift widened between the two countries in 2013 when military leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi deposed President Mohamed Morsi_ a Muslim Brotherhood leader and ally of Turkey.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also became strong rivals to Turkey_ as both saw the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to their ruling dynasties.

Differences with the Saudis were highlighted following the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pointed the finger at the inner circle of de facto Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS).

Turkey also became involved in the civil war in Libya in 2019_ supporting the UN-recognized administration in Tripoli while Egypt_ the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia supported the other side.

An Egyptian_ Emirati_ Saudi and Bahraini blockade against Turkey s ally Qatar from 2017 also added to tensions with Ankara. The resolution of the Gulf crisis earlier this year removed a major obstacle to reconciling divisions.

Last week_ Erdogan spoke by phone with UAE chief Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed_ two weeks after welcoming the UAE s national security adviser.

Although Erdogan and the Saudi crown prince have yet to speak directly_ the Turkish president discussed improving relations with King Salman bin Abdulaziz in May.