Egypt denounced on Saturday the online questionnaire that was conducted by the TV channel RT Arabic about the Halayeb triangle, according to a statement from Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid.
Russian state-run TV channel RT Arabic published on its website on Friday a questionnaire asking the public about their opinion regarding whether the Halayeb triangle belongs to Egypt or Sudan.
Moreover, the State Information Service (SIS) summoned the managers of the channel’s office in Cairo on Saturday to inform them about Egypt’s rejection to the act and its refusal of running questionnaires that “harm Egyptian sovereignty and its integrity.”
Following the communications between the SIS and RT managers, the media outlet deleted the questionnaire from its website. In another statement, the SIS said that the deleting of the poll came after communications with the managers of RT in Moscow and Cairo, and also with Russian officials who are concerned about the strength of Egyptian-Russian relations.
The SIS added that it clarified to the Russian side that “such irresponsible and unprofessional acts” aim at harming the relations between the Egyptian and Russian peoples via an issue related to the Egyptian sovereignty.
Abou Zaid said that the ministry delivered its strong denunciation to the Russian side regarding the questionnaire that was conducted by a state-run media outlet. In light of the consequences of the questionnaire, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry revoked his interview with the channel, which was set to be conducted on Monday during his visit to Moscow.
Egyptian-Sudanese relations have long witnessed strains over the 20 sqkm Halayeb triangle, which is located in the south-east of Egypt. Sudanese authorities claim that the triangle is Sudanese, despite Egypt being its de facto ruler and asserting it is Egyptian territory.
