On November 20, the whole world had its eyes on Qatar and the premiere of the most controversial World Cup in the history of the institution. In the stands of Al Bayt for the opening ceremony and the first match was the Turkish President, who of course had other things on his mind that night. And they had nothing to do with Operation Fucking Sword, against the Kurds, which had just taken place the day before.
Inside the stadium there was an almost accidental meeting, which Erdogan wanted to exploit for his own political benefit. It was the contact and awkward handshake he exchanged with Egyptian President Sisi. Since 2019 and the signing of the first Turkish-Cypriot memorandum, relations between them have reached a nadir. They have been chilly in recent years anyway because of Turkish support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Last October, after the signing of the energy memorandum, Cairo cut off all contact, clipping the wings of Ankara, which probably thought there would be no Egyptian reaction.
From the moment he shook hands with Sisi, Erdogan thought he had before him an important opportunity to reopen talk of restoring relations between the two countries. The Egyptian President was not against discussing it, only making it clear that this cannot be done as long as the violations and ultimatums that Ankara is trying to create through its illegal agreement with the Tripoli government are in place. Of course, not a word was said about the latter in Turkey.
From that day onwards, a huge wave of love from Turkey to Egypt has risen. Turkish officials and pro-government media are attempting to cultivate a jubilant atmosphere by putting the cart before the horse. They are not only talking about substantial steps towards the normalization of bilateral relations, but presenting it as a matter of time that diplomatic missions will be placed in both countries.
Of course things are not like that. From a position of strength, the Egyptian government is not prepared to give Erdogan what he wants without conditions. Normalization depends on the concessions Turkey will be asked to make in Libya. It is very likely that the Egyptian side will ask for the cancellation or modification of the memorandum of understanding signed on energy that violates the continental shelves of Egypt and Greece.
According to reports in the Egyptian press, Cairo has included in its red lines Turkey's behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean in general. Something that concerns us directly, since Egypt categorically rejects Turkish drilling and other exploration in areas under Cypriot or Greek jurisdiction.
Therefore, the restoration of Turkey's relations with Egypt also passes through the neighbour's defiant attitude towards Cyprus and Greece. In the name of regional cooperation, President Sisi does not rule out the possibility of playing respect for international law, sovereignty, sovereign rights and good neighbourly relations as a negotiating card. Words unknown to the Turkish President, who is once again heading towards entrapment in a trap he himself attempted to set for others.
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