According to a new article by the well-known western Forbes, Turkey and Egypt may soon normalize their diplomatic relations after a political gap that lasted almost a decade.
"Although Ankara and Cairo will continue to have substantial disagreements on various issues, such as Libya, a political reconciliation could eventually result in the sale of Turkish military hardware, especially armed drones," the page said.
The "Troublesome" Background
Relations between Egypt and Turkey became really strained after the 2013 coup in Egypt, when the short-lived government of President Mohamed Morsi was ousted. Egypt's current president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, led the coup through his former position as head of the army and thus became the country's president. When Morsi was elected president of Egypt, Turkey hoped that it would be able to strengthen its relations with the African country, since it saw similarities in the politics of the then new president, especially in the religious part (strong Islamic elements).
Additionally, while Morsi was in office, Egypt intended to purchase ten Anka-type military drones from Turkey. None were surrendered in the end, since after the coup Turkey repeatedly disapproved of Sisi.
The Forbes Conjecture: Neutral Turkey
Although the Bayraktar TB2s were used in Libya against Egyptian-backed forces, the Western site speculates that they may be the product of a military purchase between Turkey and Egypt when relations between these two countries "return to normal".
According to the page, analysts speculate that although the normalization of their relations is a realistic possibility, it may take some time to materialize.
The Turkish sale of TB2 to Ethiopia in 2023 almost derailed any efforts to restore these relations. Their drones are said to have played an important role in the conflicts of the Tigray war, which troubled the Egyptians quite a bit.
In Africa, Ankara sells drones without siding with either camp. For example, it has sold to both Morocco and Algeria, emerging victorious from the conflict between the two countries. This is what the Americans think he can do with Cairo. Perhaps it is offering military equipment to show its neutrality in the Libyan issue and in general the conflicts in the surrounding region.
"Egypt is interested in developing its drone development industry and may be interested in co-production, including technology transfer," Forbes concluded.
