Egyptian Foreign Minister – cutting ties with Turkey and volatile American foreign relations –

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy recently admitted that his country’s relations with the United States are “under strain,” and that the public opinion about Washington “has followed an unprecedented negative bent.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister – cutting ties with Turkey and volatile American foreign relations – During an interview with Al-Hayat on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Fahmy said that he told his US counterpart John Kerry, “Egyptian decision-making will not be influenced by US aid,” currently being discussed by Washington and Cairo.

Fahmy stressed the existence of “great popular pressure” in Egypt “to cut ties with Turkey,” and pointed out that the Egyptian people have “rejected” the position of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who “has taken a stand against the voice of the Egyptian people, not against the government.”

He also pointed out that Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Ankara, halted its maritime cooperation with Turkey and refused to increase the number of members of the Turkish Embassy in Egypt “as a result of the recent Turkish policies that affect Egyptian sovereignty.”

On the other hand, Fahmy praised the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which he said are “related to the issue of Arab identity” and “are at their best today.” He pointed out, however, that there is a “cloud” over the Egyptian-Qatari relationship and that it must be dealt with through actions.

He said that the Al Jazeera network was a major — albeit not the only — reason behind this bad or tense relationship between Egypt and Qatar. He added, “What it publishes is not at all professional. There is a general impression that Al Jazeera reflects the Qatari position or that the Qatari government can influence the channel to be more professional and transparent in its position.” But he stressed the “common identity” with Qatar and “hope that the relations will remain good between us.”

While he believes that the new Iranian government “has given some positive messages,” he emphasized the need “to translate these messages into specific practical steps.” He stressed, “National security in the Gulf is linked to Egyptian national security, and when I enter into discussions with Iran, the situation in the Gulf tops the list of discussion priorities.”

Fahmy firmly spoke about the Hamas movement, stressing that Egypt’s response “will be harsh if we feel that there are parties in Hamas or other parties trying to compromise Egyptian national security.” He pointed out that there are “many negative indicators in this regard,” but stressed that the response includes “security military options, not options that end up harming Palestinians.”

Fahmy distinguished between the Muslim Brotherhood and its National Assembly, for which a decision to dissolve was issued on Sept. 23, and the Freedom and Justice Party, founded by the group after the January revolution. He said that the group was dissolved under the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the assembly has a license from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Insurance. This license permits specific practices and a level of transparency in funding. “The license will be cancelled if the assembly fails to commit to it, just like any other case,” he added, as per the association law.

Fahmy expressed, however, that the party “has the right to peaceful exercise and opinion,” pointing out that it was invited to join the government.