Lawsuit demands Turkey to repay Egypt 23M gold coins

CAIRO - 18 January 2020: Egypt’s Administrative Court has set February 15, 2020 to consider a lawsuit demanding Turkey to repay Egypt more than 23.1 million gold coins that were taken from Egypt in tribute by Ottoman Empire “illegally.”

Egyptian lawyer Hamido Gamil filed a lawsuit before the court, asking the Egyptian government to take all international legal procedures to reclaim this money, which was paying to the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1955 illegally as the Ottomani guardianship over on Egypt ended officially after Britain declared its protectorate over Egypt in 1914.

The lawsuit also called for confiscating all Turkish-owned properties in Egypt, besides freezing Turkish assets in Egyptian banks, saying that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry has previously asked for reclaiming the gold coins.

Last July, another lawyer filed a lawsuit before the Administrative Court asking for cancellation Egyptian-Turkish trade deals and banning the entry of Turkish goods into the Egyptian markets.

In June 2017, Business tycoon Naguib Sawiris called for preventing the entry of Turkish products into Arab markets, due to Turkey’s support to Qatar when Egypt and other Gulf states cut their relations with Doha.

Despite the strained relations between both countries, Egypt’s exports to Turkey rose 9.7 percent during 2018, recording $2.2 billion, compared to $1.9 billion in 2017, according to a recent report issued in May 2019 by the General Organization for Export and Import Control.

Since the ouster of former President Morsi in July 2013, the relations between both sides have become strained. On Nov. 23, 2013, Egypt downgraded bilateral diplomatic relations with Turkey when it declared Turkish Ambassador Hussein Botsali a persona non grata.

The diplomatic disagreement has been deepened recently; on the 6th of January 2020, Egypt Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Turkish Chargé d'affaires to express their refusal to the latest Turkish comments when Egypt interrogating the staff of Turkish-funded news agency of Anadulo. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Wednesday it thwarted schemes for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, as the ministry’s national security sector spoted an electronic platform “funded by Turkey,” with the aim of “destroying the pillars” of the Egyptian state.

Turkey’s foreign policy in the Middle East widened its rift with Egypt when Turkish President Recept Tayeb Erdogan urkish President Recept Tayeb Erdogan and Sarraj signed controversial Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on drawing maritime borders in the Mediterranean Sea- one of the largest natural gas resources in the region- and on enhancing military cooperation. The deals provoked anger in Egypt, Cyprus and Greece that voiced their rejection of the deal as it contradicts with the international agreements.

In a joint press conference held in Cairo for the foreign ministers of Egypt, Greece, France and Cyprus, it has been affirmed that the necessity to fully respect the sovereignty of all countries, including their sovereign rights in their water regions in the Mediterranean Sea. In this regard, they strongly condemned the continuous Turkish acts (drillings) in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone and regional waters and called on Turkey to immediately halt illegal exploration activities.sovereignty of all countries, including their sovereign rights in their water regions in the Mediterranean Sea. In this regard, they strongly condemned the continuous Turkish acts (drillings) in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone and regional waters and called on Turkey to immediately halt illegal exploration activities.