Egypt Summons Turkish Envoy To Protest Erdogan's Remarks

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Turkish charge d'affaires to protest recent remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he criticized Egypt.



In a statement, the ministry described Erdogan's remarks as an "unacceptable interference by the Turkish leadership in Egypt's internal affairs".



The statement said the remarks also showed "a complete ignorance of the political reality in Egypt since the June 30 revolution (the mass protests that led to the military ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi on July 3 of last year).



The ministry hinted at taking further measures "that will restrict the development of bilateral relations between the two countries".



The Turkish government has not commented on the report yet.



Earlier this month, Erdogan described Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as a "tyrant".



"I do not consider al-Sisi a democrat, as he alleges. I also don't view him as a president. He is a tyrant, and I have no doubts about this," Erdogan told CNN.



This was the second time the Turkish envoy has been summoned by Egypt this month to protest remarks by Erdogan.



Last week, Erdogan accused al-Sisi of blocking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.



Relations between Cairo and Ankara soured following Morsi's overthrow by the military last year.



Last November, Egypt downgraded its diplomatic relations with Turkey to the level of charge d'affaires and recalled its ambassador from Ankara. Turkey responded with similar measures.



By Hazem Badr



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire