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Egypt expels Turkish ambassador, scales back ties
[November 23, 2013] CAIRO (AP) — Egypt downgraded diplomatic relations with Turkey Saturday and ordered its ambassador expelled from Cairo, a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries that have mounted since the Egyptian military's ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi this summer.
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Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish envoy
has been considered persona non grata and is being asked to
leave the country because of what he described as Ankara's
continued "interference" in Egypt affairs. In reaction to the decision, Turkish President Abdullah Gul told
reporters that he hoped our relations "will be restored soon." Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling party had strongly backed Morsi —
a leading figure in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood — as an example
for the Arab world of a democratically elected, pro-Islamic
leader. It has criticized his July 3 overthrow by Egypt's
military, while also criticizing the West for what it has deemed
a weak response to a military coup. Turkey and Egypt recalled their ambassadors in August after
Turkey sharply criticized Egypt's new leaders over the ouster of
Morsi. Turkey's ambassador returned weeks later, but Egypt had
declined to return its envoy to Ankara. Saturday's decision comes after Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan renewed his criticism of Egypt's new leaders,
dismissing the trial of Morsi which opened earlier this month on
charges of inciting murder of his opponents while in office, and
describing on Thursday the situation in Egypt as a "humanitarian
drama." "This (Turkish) leadership has persisted in its unacceptable and
unjustified positions by trying to turn the international
community against Egyptian interests and by supporting meetings
for groups that seek to create instability in the country and by
making statements that can only be described as an offense to
the popular will," the foreign ministry statement said. Egyptian officials and media have repeatedly accused Muslim
Brotherhood leaders of meeting in Turkey to plan protests and
other ways to undermine the new government in Cairo. AP writer Desmond Butler contributed to this report from Istanbul Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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