Turmoil in Egypt

A look at the Dramatic Situation in Egypt

Roxana Vasile, 09.07.2013, 13:07

Egypt is these days dramatically split. On the one hand, there are the supporters of Mohamad Morsi, the president ousted last week, coordinated by the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group. On the other hand there are those who protested for days in a row in the Tahrir Square, in Cairo, against the way in which Morsi led the country in his first year of office. They are supported by the army, whose influence in running the country is already well-known.

Could the Ramadan, which has just started, ease tensions in the coming 30 days? Many say it won’t. The Muslim Brotherhood might actually increase violence against those who ousted their president, and the army might retaliate. The Islamists have already urged the people to revolt against those who are trying — they say — to steal their revolution with tanks and have called on the international community to intervene in order to prevent massacres, as it happened early this week, when dozens of people were killed.

The high representative of the Union for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine Ashton has stated that provocations and any escalation of violence must be prevented. In Bucharest, the State Secretary for Global Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Mihail Dobre, has received Mrs. Laila Ahmed Bahaa El Din, Egypt’s ambassador to Romania, at her request. The communiqué issued after the meeting reads that the Egyptian ambassador talked about the latest developments in her country and stressed the complexity of the situation in that country in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. She also highlighted the difficulties facing the Egyptian authorities these days, which have to form an interim government and at the same time make efforts to continue the democratic transformation of the country.

According to the same communiqué, the Romanian Foreign Ministry deplores the many human lives lost in the past days and condemns any form of violence. Dialogue, not confrontation, is the solution to ensuring the success of the democratic project. That is why Romania hopes that constitutional order is restored in Egypt soon, through new elections, and that the democratic transition process is resumed as soon as possible. The stake is way bigger than the situation of Egypt, as the country is a key factor in maintaining peace, security and economic development in the Mediterranean region, in the north of Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, Egypt’s stability and security are crucial for the stability and security of the region, reads the communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry.