Turkey to Keep Low Profile at Egypt-host Gaza Reconstruction Event

Turkey plans to keep a low profile at a donors’ conference for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip hosted by Egypt on Oct. 12, with only a general director from the Foreign Ministry participating in the conference, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The meeting is officially at the level of foreign ministers, but Turkey will not send its Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğu due to the ongoing feud between Ankara and Cairo, which intensified due to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks at the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September, in which he questioned whether the global summit was a place where those who “plot coups” are allowed to speak, slamming Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s appearance.

“The United Nations, as well as the democratic countries, have done nothing but watch events such as the overthrow of the elected president in Egypt and the killings of thousands of innocent people who wanted to defend their choice. The person who carried out this coup is being legitimized,” Erdogan said at the time.

His comments prompted Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to cancel a planned meeting with Çavuşoğlu on the sidelines of the General Assembly.