Egypt welcomes Turkey’s move to curb opposition broadcasters in exile

Egypt welcomed Turkey’s move to stop criticism of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his government by opposition TV networks based in the country.

The move follows a series of surprise overtures to Egypt by top Turkish officials. Cairo responded last week by saying that it wanted to see words matched by actions if eight years of enmity between the two regional heavyweights were to end.

A major irritant to Cairo has been the fierce criticism of Mr El Sisi’s government aired daily by three opposition TV networks operating from Turkey and loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt’s Minister of State for Information, Osama Heikal, said the Turkish order “could create an encouraging climate for dialogue between the two countries to resolve years of outstanding problems”.

He told the BBC in Cairo at the weekend that he expected the Egyptian media to follow suit and tone down attacks on Turkey as a prelude to possible negotiations.

Egyptian talk shows hosted by pro-government anchors have for years blasted Turkish policies in the region, saving their worst criticism for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom they accuse of trying to restore Ottoman hegemony over the region, nicknaming him “the sultan”.

Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been fraught since 2013, when the Egyptian military – then led by Mr El Sisi – removed Turkish ally and Islamist Mohammed Morsi from the presidency amid mass protests against his divisive rule.