Egypt condemns Erdogan’s further criticism at World Economic Forum

In a strongly worded statement, the ministry said: “Anyone observing Turkey’s internal situation in the past 12 years will find that Erdogan, who claims to be the patron of democracy and defender of the Arab Spring, is far from true democracy, and thus should not give us lessons about democracy and human rights or appoint himself as the guardian of these values.”

 

The statement added: “The reality of things in Turkey indicates that, despite the fact that Erdogan stayed in power for many years as prime minister, he did not change the parliamentary system, the semi-presidential system or the Turkish Constitution so as to continue in power for 10 years to come, which cannot be considered a democratic behavior, especially in light of the restrictions imposed on freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly.”

 

The statement went on to criticize Erdogan for his use of excessive force in dealing with political activists and peaceful demonstrators, closing down Twitter in defiance of the most elementary rules of respect for freedom of opinion, severe restrictions imposed on the press, prosecution of journalists, discrimination against Kurds, frequent intervention in the work of the judiciary while considering corruption cases, and detaining citizens without charge for long periods as monitored and confirmed by international organizations, including the European Union.

 

It continued to say that all these undemocratic practices and systematic violations give the Turkish president no moral or political rant or justification to defend democracy. “They also reflect Erdogan’s narrow ideology and personal ambition and illusion of restoring the Ottoman Empire away from the national interests of his country or his people.”

 

Egypt also condemned the Turkish attack on the UAE, which it considers an attack on the rest of the Arab countries.

 

The statement went on to say: “Not only does Erdogan stick his nose into the internal affairs of other countries, he also supports terrorist organizations, whether politically, financially or by sheltering, so as to foment chaos and harm the interests of the peoples of the region, which is confirmed by information about his direct contacts with organizations in Libya, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, a matter not to be tolerated by the United Nations and the international community because it poses a threat to international peace and security.”

 

It concluded by saying: “Egypt distinguishes between the reckless positions of the Turkish leadership that violate the traditions and norms of international law and require to be corrected by the international community and the historical relations and blood ties that combine the Egyptian people and the Turkish people, advising Erdogan to reform his personal behavior and improve his autocratic record before sticking his nose into the affairs of others.”

 

Erdogan had earlier criticized the new Sisi-led government in Egypt during the UN Climate Summit last week and then followed up at the World Economic Forum with further remarks against the Egyptian government, calling it a ‘coup’.

 

“Unfortunately, we see that in one country where the will of the people manifested itself, those who are elected with a vote of 52 percent are toppled. That coup is legitimized and accepted by the rest of the world in many countries, including countries which are governed with democracy,” he said.

 

“That person (Sisi) can actually go on the stage and speak at the United Nations General Assembly… is it a platform where democratically elected people speak, or is it a place where people from autocratic regimes come to speak?” Erdogan asked.

 

“I, Tayyip Erdogan, believe in democracy. Because of this, I do not want to be in the same picture with those people who come to power through anti-democratic means,” he said. “In Egypt we have seen a coup against an elected president and we have then seen people who have been killed.”