by Marwa Yahya

CAIRO, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian experts considered the recent Cairo-Ankara negotiations as "a new chapter" in the two countries' history, and a positive step for resetting the bilateral ties.

Egyptian and Turkish officials concluded last week two-day talks in Cairo after eight years of political tensions. The two sides hailed the talks as "frank and in-depth."

Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamdi Loza and his Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal co-chaired the talks, the first such high-level meeting between the two countries since Egypt's army toppled Turkey's ally Mohamed Morsi in 2013 in response to mass protest against his rule.

A joint statement after the meeting said "the diplomats discussed bilateral relations and several regional issues, particularly the situations in Libya, Syria and Iraq, and the need to achieve peace and security in the eastern Mediterranean region."

"The two sides had exploratory discussions to outline the necessary steps towards normalization between Cairo and Ankara," said Mohamed Sadiq, chairman of the Cairo-based Arab Center for Strategic and Political Studies.

The negotiation signified the desire of the Turkish side to restore normal ties with a strong regional ally like Egypt after Turkey has suffered isolation among its neighboring Arab countries due to conflicts over several issues, Sadiq told Xinhua.

Egypt put some conditions for breaking the political stalemate with Turkey including "full respect for Egypt's sovereignty, non-intervention in Egypt's domestic affairs, and stopping Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated TV channels that aired anti-Egypt rhetoric," Sadiq said.

Cairo and Ankara expelled each other's ambassadors in 2013. Turkey offered a generous hideout for the Brotherhood prominent figures, naming them as refugees.

The bilateral ties have further deteriorated over Turkey signing of a maritime deal in 2019 with the former Government of National Accord in Tripoli against the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar, who was backed by Egypt. Turkey was also angered by Egypt signing deal with Greece for maritime demarcation.

"The recent negotiation is a new chapter in Egypt-Turkey relations, but reaching normalization will take time until Ankara proves good intentions," the political expert added.

On May 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Egyptian people and the Turkish nation have a unity based on history, adding that both Turkey and Egypt will expand the process to normalize their relations.

Samir Farag, an Egyptian military expert, agrees that restoring bilateral ties to their normal level relies on Ankara's meeting of the Egyptian demands.

"Egypt is in no hurry to normalize its relations with Turkey," said Farag, a former manager of the defense ministry's morale department.

He sees the exit of the Turkish forces from Libya as the main obstacle to reaching normalization.

"The Libyan issue is the turning point in the negotiation because Egypt wanted a complete settlement for the Libyan crisis that constituted a matter of national security for Egypt," he reiterated, saying that Egypt wouldn't accept foreign forces at its borders.

On May 5, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told his German counterpart that "the Turkish military presence in Libya is legitimate under a security deal signed with the former Libyan government."

"The discussions were to break the ice and were considered as a positive step forward," Bashir Abdel Fattah, a researcher on Turkish affairs at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said. "But the future of the ties is all about how both sides will deal with the Cairo's meeting outcome."

"I think if Turkey takes serious moves regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and Libya, other meetings at the levels of foreign ministers and heads of the intelligence will happen very soon," Abdel Fattah added. Enditem

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