Turkey sought to reach out to Egypt and the UAE this week. Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors and are restoring full diplomatic ties.
Meanwhile, Turkey is also seeking to send its recently re-elected president to the UAE later this month, according to reports at Al-Ain media in the Gulf.
The trip to the UAE will include the signing of new bilateral agreements. Both of these connections are important because Ankara used to have chilly ties with Cairo and Abu Dhabi, especially between 2013 and 2021. However, Ankara has now shifted its policies and is seeking reconciliation in the region.
While Turkey has also done outreach to Israel, Iran is doing new diplomatic outreach to the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Egypt as well. Therefore this could be seen as part of the new agenda in the region in which the Middle East moves to a new diplomatic era.
Growing criticism of Israel in the region
This is important and also presents some contrasts and challenges to Israel. Israel’s operations in Jenin have led to criticism in the region and Iran seeks to capitalize on this by trying to make inroads in the Gulf at the same time as criticism of Israel is growing in some Gulf media.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt March 18, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED ABD EL GHANY)This means that Turkey and Iran may be growing their ties with countries that also have relations with Israel, such as the UAE and Egypt. However, it is unclear if important groups such as the Negev Forum will soon renew their meetings which include Israel, the Gulf and Egypt.
Israel-Saudi ties have often been mentioned in media and the US has tapped Dan Shapiro to come to the State Department to advance regional integration. Therefore the moves by Turkey matter in the region and to Israel.
Turkey views the UAE as important and seeks fruitful ties Al-Ain media reported this weekend. “Relations with Turkey are of great importance within the UAE’s strategy to strengthen its partnerships, expand its relations with various brotherly and friendly countries, and strengthen bridges of cooperation with it in all fields, based on Turkey’s regional and global presence and importance,” the report said.
In Egypt, commentators also seek the appointment of ambassadors as very important. A presidential meeting may come soon as well. The new Turkish Ambassador to Egypt has been named as Salih Mutlu Sen and the Egyptian Ambassador as Amr Al-Hamami.
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