Russian FM Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that Russia takes an equal stance regarding the differences between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt over the Renaissance Dam, calling on all parties to take a responsible approach to resolving the water disputehttps://t.co/qmpd6Io2td
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) July 25, 2021
Egypt is building Africa’s biggest hospital.
It will perform 10,000 heart operations a year!
Its total cost is US$300 million.
That is a tenth of what Kuda Tagwirei LOOTED through Command Agriculture!😂😂😂
— Hopewell Chin’ono Today (@daddyhope) July 25, 2021
Sisi marks the 69th anniversary of the 23rd of July Revolution, hailing late President Naguib as a symbol of the revolution who bravely answered the call of national duty in a defining moment.#Africa#Egypt | #السيسي#مصر#ثورة_23_يوليوpic.twitter.com/XpVElRdYpl
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) July 23, 2021
While #Ethiopia claims it hit its target, #Egypt’s water experts assert that Ethiopia second filling was lower than hoped for. Target was additional 13.5 billion cubic metres this year, but current filling is less than 4 billion https://t.co/vhxEYnhSzAhttps://t.co/INFsOIqLAu
Important: high-level Egyptian delegation from the Army National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) arrived in Uganda yesterday, discussed with the Ugandian military & government officials the joint cooperation aimed at establishing Egyptian development projects in Uganda. pic.twitter.com/mn8AMIlh7w
Bennett wished a happy Eid Al-Adha, which starts tonight, to Muslim and Druse Israelis, as well as to citizens of the countries of the region, specifically mentioning those with relations with Israel: Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
ICYMI: Egypt's coastal city of Alexandria has designed a beach for people with disabilities. A third of the beach is equipped with a wooden platform that extends to the water pic.twitter.com/AgPOhasB1y
The depth of social #Islamism in #Egypt is scary! A man chained his university daughter to a bed to stop her from seeing a colleague with whom she is in love! If @HRW and @Amnesty really care about HR, they should stand against those regressive values.https://t.co/afrVFfskR1
— Dr. Paul J. Sullivan (@DrPJSullivan) July 25, 2021
Since childhood, H.E Mr Nikolas Garilidis, Ambassador of Greece to Egypt, has been a frequent visitor of the Greek rowing club in Cairo, overlooking the great Nile river. #EgyptThroughTheirEyespic.twitter.com/zYk2Q1h1wr
Egypt’s El Sisi sets out red line over Ethiopia’s Nile dam
Water flow to Sudan’s Roseires Dam declines 50% as Ethiopia starts 2nd GERD fillingIsraeli Embassy in Egypt refuted Israeli defense systems are in place to protect Ethiopia’s GERD
Egyptian FM holds consultations with NATO secretary general in Brussels
Egypt frees several prominent activists ahead of Eid al-Adha
Egypt’s prosecution annuls asset freeze on Mubarak’s sons
Main headlines
Monday
Egyptian FM holds consultations with NATO secretary genera in Brussels
Now…Signing the agreement of the establishment of a Joint-Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission by the foreign ministers of Egypt and China, and viewing the short video for the joint production of the "Sinovac" vaccine. 🇪🇬🤝🇨🇳@MFA_Chinapic.twitter.com/OeW74d0vfc
I will pay a visit to Cairo tomorrow where I will sign together with the Arab League's SG Ahmed Aboul Gheit Memorandum of Understanding between @GreeceMFA & the Arab League. https://t.co/srctaRS91E
Egypt’s inauguration of a new naval base near Libya is a message to Turkey. Paul Antonopoulos
Jehan Sadat, 1933-2021: The first lady who pushed the lines. Dina Ezzat
Jehan Sadat, 87, widow of Egypt’s President and women’s advocate, dies. Vivian Yee and Nada Rashwan
Jehan Sadat- Getty images
From Twitter
Tunisia’s permanent representative to the Uآ has asked the United Nations Security Council to intervene in the GERD issue by encouraging the three parties to resume negotiations under the umbrella of the African Union https://t.co/ZYIClyPvJB
In a letter to his Ethiopian counterpart the Sudanese Irrigation Minister said that the second filling of the dam’s reservoir was in direct contradiction with the principles of not causing significant harm as stipulated by international law.https://t.co/10GVV7qT4f
Sources says Ethiopia has rejected in the past few hours international mediation attempts to stop the second filling of the reservoirhttps://t.co/10GVV7qT4f
#Egypt resorted to UN Security Council after #Ethiopia's intransigence on negotiations for disputed Nile dam: President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi tells DRC's President Felix Tshisekedi pic.twitter.com/j87dBkBIIa
العامة 🇪🇬 محمد شوقى 🇪🇬#سامح_شكرى فى #مجلس_الأمن The Nile is the right of life for the Egyptians, and by law it is forbidden to build dams on the sources of the rivers. Ethiopia wants to kill Egypt and Sudan #EgyptNileRightsه ……….. On va le protéger par toutes les façons pic.twitter.com/dp4lUzdabd
We deeply appreciate France’s statement at UNSC for mentioning the “unilateral filling” of GERD. Other statements that did not were attempting to balance their positions to maintain their interests with the 3 countries, Ethiopia included: FM#Africa@MfaEgypt|#سد_النهضة#اثيوبياpic.twitter.com/OxAbY0cCa4
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) July 11, 2021
#Greece stands by #Egypt. Today the Greek MFA expressed its deepest concern at #Ethiopia's unilateral decision to proceed with the second phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.https://t.co/Ym3dsucDaX
— George Mastropavlos (@g_mastropavlos) July 9, 2021
2⃣It has been more than 10 years since Ethiopia announced to build Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile. Since then, the prospect has loomed as an existential threat over Egypt. pic.twitter.com/F0BplcfPke
The meeting was attended by the Cypriot, Egyptian, French, Greek, Israeli, Italian, Jordanian and Palestinian Esteemed Ministers of Energy and Foreign Affairs. https://t.co/MHA3pPlRRI
Egypt's President Al-Sisi leads a military funeral for the wife of late President Sadat. This is the first time to organize a military funeral for an Egyptian woman. pic.twitter.com/9wtd1pvdWv
Yesterday, 6 July, marked the 1049th anniversary since the establishment of #Egypt’s capital #Cairo. “Al Qahera” or “the victorious” is a magnificent, culturally rich city and the largest in #Africa. I am happy to call it my home away from home. Happy birthday to all Cairenes! 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/cPEMeVEVhq
In this episode of Turkey Trends, I discussed the situation in Libya with Aya Burweila, a senior adviser at the Research Institute for European and American Studies. She highlighted how Turkey and its Islamist proxies and forces in war-torn Libya will do everything to make sure presidential and legislative elections will not take place in the country as scheduled. “They don’t want elections in Libya because they know that the Islamists will not have a future in Libya,” she said. You can watch the entire interview here:
Last month, I wrote this opinion piece for The National on Turkey and NATO, and I would like to repost here for my blog followers. Enjoy …
Following the accession of Turkey to Nato in 1952, the newly elected Turkish leader at the time, Adnan Menderes, expressed his desire for his government to be the western military alliance’s “backbone”. Nearly 70 years later, Turkey has changed fundamentally. Out of the 30 members of Nato, Turkey is one of the oldest, but now the most isolated. The long-awaited meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden at the latest Nato summit this week was, in a nutshell, an anti-climax.
Turkey once had unconditional loyalty to Nato, and used its strategic location to prove its importance to the organisation. In 1955, it joined the Baghdad Pact, a Nato-backed regional alliance with Britain, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan, aimed at preventing a Soviet Union infiltration of the Middle East. The next year, Turkey stood by Britain against Egypt during the Suez crisis. Simon Smith, in his book Reassessing Suez 1956, wrote that Menderes’s government did not regard the Suez Canal dispute as a bilateral problem between the UK and Egypt, but one that concerned Nato’s entire strategy. Menderes argued: “Turkey is convinced that the UK is acting as a guardian of one of the key positions of the free world.”
Under the leadership of Mr Erdogan, however, Turkey has turned 180 degrees away from its unified accord with its Nato allies. Turkey, like other non-western members of the bygone Baghdad Pact, Iran and Pakistan, has adopted its own version of Islamist nationalism, while demonstrating degrees of suspicion and hostility towards the western world.
It is no secret that this year’s Nato summit in Brussels was held against a backdrop of a long list of flashpoints between Turkey and other Nato members, and ambiguous relations with the alliance’s chief competitors, Russia and China.
In 2017, Turkey brokered a deal worth billions with Russian President Putin for the S-400 mobile surface-to-air missile system. It forced the administration of then US president Donald Trump, one of the friendliest US administrations towards Erdogan’s Turkey, to impose sanctions on Ankara last year. The thorny dispute continued as Mr Trump’s presidency wound down, and has since forced Mr Biden’s administration to exclude Turkey from the new F35 consortium agreement.
In addition to the S-400 and F35 disputes, the US and Turkey disagree on a long list of issues, including US support for Kurdish militias in Syria and the Biden administration’s formal acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide. On the human rights front, the White House issued a strongly worded statement following Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on preventing domestic violence against women.
Moreover, Turkey has had tense relations with Greece, France and Cyprus. Last year, Turkey came close to a naval confrontation with Greece in disputed Eastern Mediterranean waters over Turkey’s gas exploration activities near the Greek island of Kastellorizo. Relations with France are not any better. Last year, the French frigate, the Courbet, tried to stop Turkish arms smuggling to Libya, forcing Nato to investigate the incident. Furthermore, the two countries have been engaged in wars of words – Mr Erdogan called for a boycott of French products after French President Emmanuel Macron firmly upheld the right of cartoonists to depict religious figures. As for Cyprus, Turkey insists on the continued division of the country, contradicting the stances taken by Europe and the US on the issue.
As if all the above is not bad enough for its relations with its supposed allies, Turkey raised eyebrows when it pushed Nato members into watering down its official reaction to Belarus’s recent forced landing of a passenger plane in order to detain a dissident journalist.
In face of all of those challenging disagreements, Turkey approached this year’s Nato summit with a multifaceted strategy to engage in a charm offensive, defiance, and spin.
Ahead of the Brussels meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made conciliatory statements to Paris, Athens and Washington. Mr Cavusoglu subsequently visited both Greece and France, and insisted that Turkey and France should maintain stable ties as “allies”. In Athens, a cheerful Mr Cavusoglu and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, agreed to “continue co-operation on a positive agenda to resolve pending bilateral issues”. Furthermore, to prove its importance to Nato, Turkey has offered to run the main airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, despite the Taliban militant group condemning the proposal.
At the summit, there were, as expected, no breakthroughs, with none of the big issues poisoning ties between the Nato allies getting resolved. The meeting was not even followed by a published read-out, but Mr Erdogan described it as “fruitful and sincere”. That description that may convince his fans at home, but the Turkish lira was not impressed – it fell against the dollar after the talks. Mr Erdogan’s uncompromising stance on the S-400 front will undoubtedly serve as a major obstacle to any joint military co-operation between the US and Turkey in the future.
There is a saying that one who rides two horses at once will split asunder. That sums up the current affairs of Mr Erdogan’s Turkey, which rides the horse of Ottoman Islamist revisionism, but still clings to the Nato club and its prestigious advantages. That dualism has dispossessed Turkey of the trust of many fellow Nato members as well as anti-extremist regimes in the Arab world.
It is rather ironic that the Mr Erdogan, who claims to consider former Prime Minister Adnan Menderes a hero, has deviated so much from Menderes’s policies. Menderes went out of his way, even supporting a colonial Britain, to cement Turkey firmly within Nato. Mr Erdogan appears to have gone out of his way to set Turkey adrift in the opposite direction.
Mr Erdogan’s supporters in Turkey, however, should consider themselves lucky. Analysts and observers who hoped for a firm handling of Turkey’s troubled policies have been disappointed by the outcome of this year’s Nato summit. Calls for cutting the Gordian knot with Turkey are widely vocalised, but Mr Biden, who is trying his best to disengage from the Middle East and focus on his country’s pressing domestic issues, appears to think that doing so would be a drastic move – particularly amid a challenging pandemic and strong appetite in his administration to maintain transatlantic unity.
In Brussels, Mr Biden and Mr Erdogan have maintained the veneer of unity, but the door for healing the rifts between Turkey and Nato also seems to be firmly closed. Sooner or later, all of the thorny issues will resurface again. Nonetheless, solving the Turkish conundrum may be postponed until another Nato summit.
Hypatia of Alexandria: The life and death of a female philosopher. Alice Bennett
Interview
US ambassador to Cairo says strategic partnership vital to both nations, spans decades. Hany Assal
From Twitter
#UPDATE The megatanker retained by Egypt since it blocked the Suez Canal in March will be released Wednesday, after the authority that manages the vital waterway said a deal was reached with its Japanese owners https://t.co/AtE2pipOOF
#Egypt says the newly opened July 3 base will help it protect strategic and economic interests as well as helping guard against irregular migration as it works to boost its naval presence on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.https://t.co/EqkoVETDTJ
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 4, 2021
A total of 47 new naval units joined the Egyptian Armed Forces, after raising the Egyptian flag on them, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the July 3 Naval Base in Gargoub, Marsa Matrouh, near western border with Libyahttps://t.co/IWIlckB6qW
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) July 4, 2021
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) July 3, 2021
The inauguration of the "3rd of July Naval Base" in Egypt is an achievement that reflects progress in vital sectors in the country, under the leadership of my brother Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. I was pleased to witness this milestone & I'm confident in Egypt’s continued development. pic.twitter.com/xkwz6BVEyW
— George Mastropavlos (@g_mastropavlos) July 3, 2021
Egypt’s Military maneuver, “Capable 2021”, in which various Egyptian forces took part at the newly-inaugurated "3rd of July" Naval Base, northwest coasthttps://t.co/nAXWG03ybZ
Egyptian Navy activities during Qader-2021 military exercise
ENS Tahya Misr FREMM Aquitaine-class frigate fired an Excoet Block III anti-ship missile (AShM) on a decommissioned Polnocny-class landing ship. pic.twitter.com/jDzqvni3aK
This headline is so wrong on many levels, and highlights how Turkey misreads Egypt. " Egypt hails Turkey's move to normalize diplomatic relations" https://t.co/J5gFirtxg9
It’s an unbelievable capitulation by the Ethiopian military. More alarming is that a military situation with Egypt is brewing because Addis Ababa is unwilling to compromise on the GERD Dam issue. Egypt is on an incomparable military level to the Tigray Forces. https://t.co/gCl81QysdG
Our most profound #condolences to families & loved ones of the 4 Egyptian nationals who lost their lives in the wildfire ravaging #Cyprus, as well as to the Gov't of #Egypt. Cyprus will stand by the victims' families in the face of this tragedy, offering every support.@MfaEgypt
Reposting my latest podcast for Ahval’s Turkey Trends with Max Hoffman, associate director of National Security and International Policy at the Centre for American Progress (CAP). We discussed how NATO membership is a huge source of prestige for Turkey that helps the country sit at the table internationally
Egypt’s @AlsisiOfficial clearly stated, in press conference with #Greek PM Mitsotakis that #Egypt stands by #Greece against any attempts to breach its sovereignty.
The #Egyptian General Intelligence Chief has arrived in #Washington DC this morning for talks with the #US Intelligence officials & the Senate members on #Libya, #GERD, #Gaza.
Egypt has suspended its mediation efforts to reach a prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. Israel reportedly insisted on linking any prisoner swap to the reconstruction of Gaza. Palestinian factions threaten to step up 'popular resistance' against Israel.
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) June 21, 2021
BREAKING | #US State Dept, quoting its official in #Berlin: Turks tried to isolate #Egypt in #Berlin saying their presence was based on legitimate agreement; Egypt believes they are trying to embed permanently in #Libya “with a military presence with an ideological flavor.” pic.twitter.com/MxSYjKd9mX
— صحيفة المرصد الليبية (@ObservatoryLY) June 24, 2021
The fact that American ambassador was able to travel safely to North #Sinai is a testimony of the success of #Egypt’s army in crushing terror groups in the region. Time for development projects and investments for local communities. @USEmbassyCairohttps://t.co/0ZBQyIErR2
The trade exchange between Egypt and the countries of the Eurasian Union amounted to about $4.69 billion in 2020, according to Minister of Trade and Industry, Nevin Gamea.https://t.co/1gaewzprid
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) June 26, 2021
Egypt now allows Covid-19 vaccinated travelers(with WHO and EDA approved vaccines)to enter,14 days after the last dose. Travelers from counties affected by variant COVID-19, do a rapid (ID now) test. Travelers who don’t have a vaccination certificate, submit a -ve PCR test result pic.twitter.com/jRetlQHpP2
— Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) June 26, 2021
On 26 June 1945 at #SanFrancisco, #Egypt was among the 51 founding Members who signed the @UN Charter. From the Archive: FM Badawi affirming #Egypt commitment to the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. The journey towards Peace, Development and Human Rights continue. pic.twitter.com/Vg1KX1dL7y
— Egypt Amb. in Addis Ababa (@EgyptAbaba) June 27, 2021
In the aftermath of the 1956 Suez intervention, thousands of Jews were expelled from Egypt. From the collection of United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York @AJHSNYC is a photo of an Egyptian refugee father and a child, c.1956. aa-i433-ph-dr4-050.#WorldRefugeeDay@UJAfedNYpic.twitter.com/TW6MGnulCQ
— Center for Jewish History (@cjewishhistory) June 20, 2021
A pharmacy at the heart of Egypt’s capital Cairo sells modern medicine amid the historical backdrop of the city’s early 20th-century character pic.twitter.com/TLT5ECBEos
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt , who is currently visiting the country. They reviewed bilateral cooperation relations, especially in the field of investment, and exchange of support in international forums.#QNApic.twitter.com/AUhgrfDwis
Tensions r rising again in Jerusalem at a very fragile & sensitive security & political time, when UN & Egypt are actively engaged in solidifying the ceasefire. Urge all relevant parties to act responsibly & avoid any provocations that could lead to another round of confrontation
In Cairo yesterday – Egyptian Armed Forces and Texas National Guard sign long-term partnership agreement under the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program.https://t.co/jDqwb7spga
— U.S. Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo) June 15, 2021
"The Pentagon is pulling approximately eight Patriot antimissile batteries from countries including Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Another Thaad system, is being withdrawn from Saudi Arabia, and jet fighter squadrons assigned to the region are being reduced."
Glad to see such firm denial that #UAE finances #Ethiopia's #GERD in this interview on an #Egyptian channel. This myth has been circulated not just inside Egypt, but among analysts in DC. https://t.co/eshiDW8GFF
VIDEO: Anticipating a surge in tourists, Egypt is investing millions in locally produced quality reproductions of ancient artifacts such as King Tut masks and Queen Nefertiti busts pic.twitter.com/HIy3wTFbII
Al-Sisi highlights #Egypt’s historic relations with Dawoodi Bohra sect@Dawoodi_Bohras Sultan Mufaddal Saifuddin noted his appreciation at Egypt’s current path regarding freedom to practice religious riteshttps://t.co/xZJpr1SIs3
Today marks the 10th anniversary of Tanmia Bookstores, founded by the talented young publisher Khaled Lotfi. Khaled Lotfi was sentenced to 5 years in jail by a military court for selling the book “The Angel”, a book you can download online and which was made into a Netflix movie. https://t.co/K1kdXyyElz
Ahead of NATO summit in Brussels, I recorded this podcast with Steven Cook, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Aval’s Turkey Trends, on how Turkey presents a geopolitical dilemma for NATO.
RT @WADJET5: زي انهارده في 2013، كانوا الخرفان في رابعة يعملوا لوحات مكتوب عليها Christians for Morsi وصورة صليب، ويطلعوا بيها قدام الإعلام… 1 hour ago
RT @TIGRAY_ARABIC: بعد اكتساح جيش تيغراي لاقليم امهرة لم يجد وزارء اثيوبيا وعلى راسهم وزير الري سيليشي بيكيلي اي حلول جدية لايقافهم سوا شتم… 1 hour ago