Egypt has reacted angrily to comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who stated that his country’s dispute is with the Egyptian regime and that there is no problem with the Egyptian people, according to the Turkish state-run news agency.
In remarks made following Eid al-Fitr prayer in Istanbul, Erdogan said, “The problem with Egypt is an issue with its administration, especially with its ruler.”
Erdogan said he could not condone such Egyptian rulings.
Responding to Erdogan’s statements, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said, “Egypt has reservations on dealing with the Turkish leadership, which insists on adopting blundering regional policies,” an apparent reference to Turkey’s support for Islamist insurgents seeking regime change in Syria and elsewhere.
Abu Zeid also said responded in the statement saying “not to forget that the Egyptian people selected its leadership in free democratic elections.”
The Foreign Ministry spokesman continued, “It’s important to always highlight that respecting the will of the people is the starting point for establishing normal relations between countries, which is a fact that some do not realize.”
Erdogan’s statement came in the light of many speculations on a possible revive in the Egyptian –Turkish relations following the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim statements in a televised interview with TRT Haber saying that there is no obstacle in the way of better commercial and economic ties with Egypt and Turkey is ready to enter a new phase.
“There is no obstacle in terms of commerce. Maybe there will be a ground in the future for normalization. Relations could even start at the ministerial level. We are ready for it,” Yildirim said, adding that Turkey has no reservations about it.
Moreover, many observers believe that Ankara would reconcile with Egypt as it is taking conciliatory moves toward both Israel and Russia.
The Egyptian-Turkish relations deteriorated since the military coup in 2013 led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against the first democratically elected president of Egypt. The coup regime has cracked down on political opposition, journalists and human rights activists who have been detained, tortured and killed by Egyptian security forces.
