Turkish Presidential Spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin discussed the regional benefits of the normalization of Turkish-Egyptian relations.
According to the TurkPress newspaper, Kalin said that the recent visit by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Egypt was “important within the framework of the normalization of relations between the two sides.”
He added that Çavuşoğlu discussed, during his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, “bilateral relations, regional files, and the current situation in the eastern Mediterranean. We believe that the improvement of relations between Turkey and Egypt has many benefits, not only for both countries, but also for Libya, Palestine, and the whole region.”
Earlier this month, Çavuşoğlu said that Ankara and Cairo agreed to continue joint coordination and consultations for the stability of Libya.
“We discussed Libya in a little more detail. We agreed that we are not rivals in Libya, and that we should work together for the stability of Libya. We will intensify our consultations on this issue as well,” Çavuşoğlu noted.
The Turkish FM explained that Ankara’s maritime energy deal with Libya was not against Egypt’s interests. He noted Cairo was initially disturbed by Turkey’s presence in the region, but affirmed that their presence did not pose a threat to Egypt.
Regarding ties with Libya, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey was in touch with both sides of the political divide in Libya.
“We see Libya as a whole, but it does not alter the fact that we only recognise the legitimate government in Libya. The most legitimate [foreign] presence in Libya is Turkey’s military presence,” he added.
In October 2022, Libya and Turkey signed a series of economic agreements that included potential energy exploration in maritime areas. As a result, Egypt denounced the MoU on the energy between Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), headed by Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba.
