Turkey is looking to reset relations with Egypt after years of animosity in a move analysts say is part of a broader strategic shift in the face of its growing isolation.
"(A) new chapter can be opened; a new page can be turned" in ties with Egypt as well as Gulf nations, Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said earlier this month. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusolgu has confirmed diplomatic efforts are under way to repair ties. Egypt and Turkey are traditionally allies. But relations have been in a deep freeze since Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in a military coup led by current president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2013, when both countries withdrew their ambassadors
Ankara's backing of the Muslim Brotherhood during the Arab Spring was central to a largely ideologically-driven goal of projecting its influence by promoting Muslim solidarity across the Middle East.
Pragmatism vs. ideology. Analysts suggest Erdogan is looking for a way to turn that policy back. "It was a mistake to support Muslim Brothers. But the (Turkish) government now realize Muslim Brothers do not have the slightest chance of coming to power again, so we can't keep on with this policy," said Huseyin Bagci of the Foreign Policy Institute, a think tank in Ankara.
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