Turkish government closes Muslim Brotherhood office

The Turkish government sealed the Muslim Brotherhood office in the country as part of Ankara's efforts to restore its ties with Egypt. Since March, as Turkish and Egyptian security officials are negotiating, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leaders living in Turkey have been under pressure and their media have been ordered not to publish anything that opposes the Egyptian authorities. The Yeni Asya website Monday (31/7/2023) reported the closure of the Muslim Brotherhood office in Turkey as part of Ankara's efforts to normalize relations with Cairo. Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been strained since the country's military coup led by General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against Mohammed Morsi, the former president of Egypt in 2013.

The two countries experienced a period of tension, which culminated when Morsi died in prison. Even Erdogan called him a martyr. Finally, after years of political and regional developments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Egypt's deteriorating economic situation prompted the two countries to renew their relationship. During the recent earthquakes in Turkey and northern Syria, Sameh al-Shakri, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt traveled to Turkey and visited the areas affected by the earthquake. During the World Cup in Qatar, the Presidents of Turkey and Egypt, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met, in what was their first meeting after a decade of tensions, showing the two countries' determination to thaw their ties.