Pragmatic Erdogan assiduously courts Egypt

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.

" 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 Ankara started its wrong policy based on theology, like supporting Muslim brotherhood. However, 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.

Erdogan believes Turkey's recent efforts to improve ties with Saudi Arabia, a close ally of Egypt, could provide impetus to its Egyptian rapprochement efforts. He has also recently made overtures to another key Egyptian ally, France.

Turkey has paid a high price for alienating Egypt. In a move that wrong-footed Ankara, Cairo last year signed an agreement with Turkey's rival Greece to develop the Mediterranean Sea. Recent energy finds in the Mediterranean have sparked for a series of territorial disputes between Greece and Turkey.

Sources revealed that Ankara had contacted Cairo several times requesting a meeting between the two countries’ security officials over events in the Mediterranean. Egypt, however, refused over Cairo’s reservations about Turkey’s incursion into Libya, as well as its links to the Muslim Brotherhood.