The Muslim Brotherhood welcomes the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Egypt, the group’s spokesperson told BBC’s Turkish service.
Talat Fehmi, the group’s spokesperson, based in Turkey, said they support the process of normalization between Ankara and Cairo, noting that cooperation serves the interests of both peoples. However, Fehmi differentiated between relations with the Egyptian state and those with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whom the Brotherhood views as a “coup leader” due to his role in the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
The Brotherhood, an Islamist movement that has been outlawed in Egypt since the 2013 coup, has maintained a presence in Turkey, which initially supported the group and its members who fled Egypt.
Despite the recent warming of ties between Turkey and Egypt, Fehmi said there has been no pressure on the group to curb its activities in Turkey. He emphasized that the Turkish government continues to respect the Brotherhood’s presence, stating, “We operate in accordance with Turkish law, and all our activities comply with official and legal standards.”
Fehmi also said regional factors, including the situation in Gaza and other mutual interests such as Mediterranean gas and the Libyan crisis, played a significant role in driving the rapprochement between the two countries. He expressed the view that improved relations between Turkey and Egypt are crucial for the region and the world at large.
Egypt and Turkey have taken major steps toward restoring diplomatic relations, with both countries exchanging ambassadors and Egyptian President Sisi visiting Turkey in August for the first time at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invitation. During the visit, 17 agreements were signed, signaling a new phase of cooperation between the two nations.
Despite speculation in the Arab media about possible reconciliation between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian regime, Fehmi dismissed such claims, saying the Brotherhood’s stance toward the Sisi government remains unchanged. He reiterated that the group holds the Egyptian regime accountable for what they describe as crimes, including the execution of Brotherhood members, and said, “It is not logical for the Muslim Brotherhood to reconcile with a regime that has committed crimes.”
Despite Fehmi’s denial of any restrictions by Ankara on the group, Turkey’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, countries that regard the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, has occurred in parallel with restrictions on the Islamist group’s freedom of movement and ability to operate in the country. Turkey called on Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated TV stations to limit their critical coverage of el-Sisi and shut down at least one of the stations during Erdoğan’s visit to Jeddah last year.
Turkey refused to renew the residence permits of members or people linked to the group to persuade them to leave the country, reportedly arrested some of the leaders and is considering deporting many others at the request of the Egyptian president, perhaps to a third country.
Following Erdoğan’s visit, there was a noticeable exodus of Brotherhood members from Turkey, including media workers, members of the Hasm movement — an armed wing of the Brotherhood — and academics who previously worked at Turkish universities.
Ankara has been trying to repair its broken relations with el-Sisi since 2020.