After years of severe tension that almost led to a military confrontation in Libya, relations between Turkey and Egypt are witnessing signs of a possible improvement, especially after Ankara’s orders to reduce the tone of the Egyptian opposition channels that are subject to it.
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The Turkish authorities asked three Egyptian opposition TV channels based in Istanbul, namely Al Sharq, Mukmaleen and Watan, to reduce their political coverage critical of the Egyptian government, while Turkey seeks to repair the strained relations with Egypt, according to informed officials.
The exiled Egyptian dissident and head of the “Al Sharq” TV channel linked to the “Muslim Brotherhood” group, Ayman Nour, stated in televised statements that Turkish officials called on the three media outlets to reduce the intensity of their rhetoric.
Nour pointed out, however, that the three channels did not receive orders to close or stop broadcasting programs. He added, “A dialogue has begun between us and the Turks within the framework of changing the discourse.”
An editor working for Al Sharq TV said, in an interview with the American Associated Press, that Turkish officials submitted the request during a meeting in Istanbul on Thursday with directors from Al Sharq, complementary and Watan.
Officials told broadcast managers that they could continue to present programs on Egypt but not against the Egyptian government, referring to negotiations that Turkey is conducting with Egypt, according to the editor.
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The same source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, also said that TV channels immediately stopped broadcasting some political programs.
No comment has yet been issued from the Muslim Brotherhood, but the Egyptian government has publicly welcomed this step, according to the Minister of Information, Usama Haykal, describing it in a statement as “a good gesture from the Turkish side, which creates an appropriate atmosphere to discuss the files subject to differences between The two countries over the past years. “
Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been experiencing a political crisis since 2013 after the Turkish authorities categorically refused to isolate the Egyptian army of the late President, Mohamed Morsi, a leader in the “Muslim Brotherhood” and “the first democratically elected Egyptian president,” according to Ankara, which previously refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Egyptian president. , Abdel Fattah Sisi.
Turkey considers Morsi’s removal a “military coup”, while the Egyptian authorities, which describe these events as a revolution, condemn this position, accusing Turkey of supporting the “Muslim Brotherhood” group, which Cairo officially declared a “terrorist organization.”
Later on, tension between the two sides escalated against the backdrop of several issues, especially the Libyan crisis, which almost became an arena for a military confrontation between the Egyptian and Turkish forces.
And recently, prominent Turkish officials have indicated improved relations with Egypt, in a shift from their previous sharpened critical approach towards the Sisi government.
But Egyptian officials said Turkey needs to take substantive steps toward “real” talks to mend relations.
They explained that the steps include the departure of hundreds of Turkish forces and “thousands of Syrian mercenaries” from Libya, as well as the handover of Islamists wanted by Egypt on charges related to terrorism.
Source: “Associated Press” + agencies
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