Turkey to Mend Ties with Egypt If Democratic Steps Taken

Turkey will repair its relationship with Egypt if the country takes steps to ensure democracy, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, calling on the Egyptian government to stop violating human rights.

“Murdering thousands of people is against human rights. We do not know the number of political prisoners in the country. We stand against the regime’s atrocities,” said Çavuşoğlu in a televised interview with the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) on Thursday.

Çavuşoğlu also stressed that Turkey needs to see “concrete steps” taken by the Egyptian government. “We hope to restore relations with Egypt and have a dialogue at a certain level. We have already taken some steps,” the Turkish foreign minister added.

The statement came after Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani called on Turkish officials to take steps to normalize Turkish-Egyptian relations. Recent reports quoting diplomatic sources said Qatar’s emir stressed that relations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi would inevitably improve. Sheikh Tamim conveyed his message to Turkish officials during his visit to Turkey last week.

Çavuşoğlu touched on Qatar’s developing relationship with Egypt, saying Turkey welcomes Qatar’s resuming good relations with other Gulf countries.

Source: Today’s Zaman