Egypt 'screwed' Erdogan - a new alliance is forming around Turkey

Despite the normalization of relations between Turkey and Egypt, Cairo has not abandoned its strategic partnership with Greece and Cyprus. A trilateral meeting of leaders in El Alamein confirmed continued coordination. According to an analyst, this is a setback for Erdogan: his expectation that Egypt would shift into the Turkish bloc has not materialized. Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus are strengthening energy cooperation, including plans to supply Cypriot gas through Egypt to Europe.

Despite the restoration of dialogue between Turkey and Egypt, Ankara has failed to pull Cairo away from its long-standing partners in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt not only maintained strategic ties with Greece and Cyprus but also publicly confirmed its intention to develop this format of cooperation. Analyst and founder of Hellas Journal, Michaelis Ignatiou, asserts that expectations of a gradual shift of Egypt into a regional bloc forming around Turkey have not been realized. For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, this represents a serious failure. This was confirmed by a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on September 8 in El Alamein. The three leaders agreed to strengthen the trilateral mechanism established in 2014. Energy ties are particularly strong: plans to supply Cypriot gas through Egyptian infrastructure to the European market have been confirmed. In parallel, Egypt and Greece are advancing the GREGY electrical interconnection project. Israel also plays an important role in this configuration, with Greece expanding defense cooperation. Ignatiou believes that the combination of these ties creates an uncomfortable structure for Erdogan. However, there is no talk of a formal military alliance between Egypt and Israel against Turkey—Cairo is pursuing a multi-vector policy.