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Sunday 27 July 2014 - 11:39

Egypt calls in Turkey envoy over Erdogan ‘insults’

Story Code : 401813
Egypt calls in Turkey envoy over Erdogan ‘insults’
In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry lashed out at Erdogan for calling President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi a “tyrant,” warning that their already sour bilateral ties could worsen further.
 
The Egyptian ministry also said it had called in the Turkish envoy to voice Cairo’s strong objection over the Turkish premier’s “insults” to Sisi.
 
    “The continuation of the insults against Egypt and its elected leadership will undoubtedly lead to more measures from Egypt, leading to limited progress of bilateral relations,” said the statement.
 
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also accused Erdogan of “repeatedly” meddling in the North African country’s domestic affairs, saying such moves are “unacceptable.”
 
In an interview with the CNN earlier this month, Erdogan described Sisi as an “illegitimate tyrant”, saying Egypt’s current rulers are blocking humanitarian aid channels into Gaza.
 
The Turkish leader also said Cairo could not be relied upon to negotiate a truce with Israel. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry first summoned the Turkish envoy on July 20.
 
Erdogan’s comments came as Egypt had proposed a ceasefire plan between the Israeli regime and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. However, Hamas rejected the proposal.
 
Over the past 19 days, Israeli warplanes and tanks have been pounding numerous sites inside the blockaded Gaza Strip. So far, more than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands of others injured by the Israeli regime’s offensive against the Palestinian land.
 
Relations between Ankara and Cairo have been strained since the Egyptian military ousted Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically-elected president, last year in what Erdogan has repeatedly called a coup.
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