The spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Counsellor Ahmed Abu Zeid denied that his country is aware of Saudi mediation to restore relations between Cairo and Ankara. Abu Zeid told Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday that “we are not aware” of this matter and indicated that “the Turkish statements about Egypt as a whole do not give the impression of a desire to normalise relations. Rather, it indicates interference in Egyptian affairs”.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Riyadh on Sunday that he has spoken to his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during a number of meetings and expressed Turkey’s desire to normalise relations with Egypt.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister responded to his Turkish counterpart’s remarks yesterday by saying that “What Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested must be taken in its full context” and indicated that they were “futile”. He also emphasised that interference in Egypt’s internal affairs is unacceptable.
The Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Riyadh on Sunday that Turkey considers Egypt as one of the most important countries and that they are working to eliminate differences.
Relations between Egypt and Turkey deteriorated after the former President Mohamed Morsi who belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood was deposed in July 2013. Turkey described this incident as “a coup against legitimacy” and hundreds of the group’s leaders are wanted in criminal cases in Egypt.
Sameh Shoukry said during a joint press conference that he held yesterday with his Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek who is visiting Cairo that “we confirm the statements of the Turkish foreign minister and his references to the relations between the people of Egypt and Turkey. These relations are close, historical and positive. We also confirm any statements made by the Turkish minister in relation to the fact that there are normal relations between the two countries. However, the general context for the Turkish minister’s statements, the interference in the internal affairs of Egypt that they contain and the attack on the will of the Egyptian people are all unacceptable”.