Egypt summons Turkish diplomat over prime minister’s comments, warns of worsening relations

CAIRO – Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Turkey’s prime minister for calling Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi a “tyrant,” warning already sour relations between the two countries could worsen.

In a strongly-worded statement, the ministry said it summoned the Turkish charge d’ affaires, the highest-ranking Turkish official in the country, over the comments. It said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is driven by “narrow ideological interests,” referencing Turkey’s support to the Muslim Brotherhood group, branded as a terrorist organization in Egypt.

“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,” the statement said.

Relations between Egypt and Turkey soured after el-Sissi led the last year’s ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood leader. Egypt expelled Turkish ambassador in Cairo and withdrew its ambassador in Turkey after it called for Morsi release from prison.