Egypt warns Turkey against Sisi criticism

PHOTO | THOMAS COEX Flames erupt from a building hit by an Israeli air strike on July 9, 2014 in Gaza City. Egypt warned Ankara on July 27, 2014 of “further action” as it protested for the second time in a week at the Turkish premier criticising its president and Cairo’s handling of the Gaza conflict.

What you need to know:

  • Ties have been strained since both withdrew their ambassadors last year after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had forged closer ties with Turkey’s devout Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

CAIRO

Egypt warned Ankara Saturday of “further action” as it protested for the second time in a week at the Turkish premier criticising its president and Cairo’s handling of the Gaza conflict.

Ties have been strained since both withdrew their ambassadors last year after the military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who had forged closer ties with Turkey’s devout Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The foreign ministry said it was summoning the Turkish charge d’affaires — for the second time within a week — to protest against Erdogan’s criticism in the media on Thursday of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Cairo’s stance on the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Ministry spokesman Badr Abdelatty told AFP that the protest comes after Erdogan in an interview with US television channel CNN “repeated again that Sisi was a tyrant and that Egypt has no role” in resolving the Gaza crisis.

Erdogan also denounced Sisi on July 18 as an “illegitimate tyrant”, saying that Cairo could not be relied upon to negotiate a truce in Gaza.