Egypt's Sisi Says Riyadh Visit With Erdogan 'Coincidence'

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has asserted that his presence in Saudi Arabia during the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Riyadh is a "coincidence."



In an interview with Saudi-based Al Arabiya TV aired late Saturday, the Egyptian president said that his presence in Riyadh at the same time as Erdogan was a "coincidence," adding that "the kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] is a country to has relations with the entire world."



Asked if there were preconditions for starting some sort of dialogue or rapprochement with Ankara, al-Sisi said the most important factor is "not to interfere in Egypt's internal affairs or attempt to make moves against the status quo in the country."



The interview came only a few hours before the Egyptian leader heads to Riyadh for talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz.



Before departing from Istanbul on Saturday, Erdogan said in a press conference that the visit marks an occasion to boost cooperation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia in all fields and discuss the ongoing crises in the Middle East.



"We will discuss the latest situation in Syria, Palestine, Libya, Egypt and Yemen," Erdogan said, adding that the war against terrorism will be another topic high on the agenda.



The Turkish president said that Turkey has similar stances with Saudi Arabia regarding many regional problems.



Asked by a journalist in Istanbul whether his schedule would allow a meeting with al-Sisi, Erdogan said: "Are you joking?"



"For such a thing to happen, serious positive steps need to be taken first."



Turkey has been among the few countries openly describing the 2013 July takeover of power in Egypt by the army, headed then by al-Sisi, as a "military coup." Official ties between the two governments have been stormy since.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire