An exhaust gas recirculation apparatus of an internal combustion engine comprising: a low pressure EGR passage that takes in a part of an exhaust gas as a low pressure EGR gas from said exhaust passage downstream of said turbine, and recirculates the low pressure EGR gas to said intake passage upstream of said compressor; a cyclone type collection device that is arranged in said low pressure EGR passage and collects foreign matters in said low pressure EGR gas; a flow rate regulating passage that causes said low pressure EGR gas to flow from a foreign matter collection part of said cyclone type collection device into said exhaust passage downstream of a connection part thereof with said low pressure EGR passage; characterized by a flow rate regulating valve that is arranged in said flow rate regulating passage and regulates the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said flow rate regulating passage; and a first control means that performs the opening and closing control of said flow rate regulating valve in accordance with a pressure loss occurring at the time when the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage passes through said cyclone type collection device, and a turbocharger that has a turbine arranged in an exhaust passage of said internal combustion engine and a compressor arranged in an intake passage of said internal combustion engine; wherein said first control means closes said flow rate regulating valve, in cases where the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage is less than a first predetermined flow rate used as a threshold which gives priority to reducing the pressure loss at the time of said low pressure EGR gas passing through said cyclone type collection device rather than collecting foreign matters by said cyclone type collection device, and opens said flow rate regulating valve at a degree of opening in a range in which said cyclone type collection device is able to collect foreign matters of particle sizes equal to or larger than the particle size with which said cyclone type collection device affects an intake system of the internal combustion engine in cases where the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage becomes equal to or more than said first predetermined flow rate. a low pressure EGR passage that takes in a part of an exhaust gas as a low pressure EGR gas from said exhaust passage downstream of said turbine, and recirculates the low pressure EGR gas to said intake passage upstream of said compressor; a cyclone type collection device that is arranged in said low pressure EGR passage and collects foreign matters in said low pressure EGR gas; a flow rate regulating passage that causes said low pressure EGR gas to flow from a foreign matter collection part of said cyclone type collection device into said exhaust passage downstream of a connection part thereof with said low pressure EGR passage; characterized by a flow rate regulating valve that is arranged in said flow rate regulating passage and regulates the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said flow rate regulating passage; and a first control means that performs the opening and closing control of said flow rate regulating valve in accordance with a pressure loss occurring at the time when the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage passes through said cyclone type collection device, and a turbocharger that has a turbine arranged in an exhaust passage of said internal combustion engine and a compressor arranged in an intake passage of said internal combustion engine; wherein said first control means closes said flow rate regulating valve, in cases where the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage is less than a first predetermined flow rate used as a threshold which gives priority to reducing the pressure loss at the time of said low pressure EGR gas passing through said cyclone type collection device rather than collecting foreign matters by said cyclone type collection device, and opens said flow rate regulating valve at a degree of opening in a range in which said cyclone type collection device is able to collect foreign matters of particle sizes equal to or larger than the particle size with which said cyclone type collection device affects an intake system of the internal combustion engine in cases where the flow rate of the low pressure EGR gas flowing through said low pressure EGR passage becomes equal to or more than said first predetermined flow rate.