Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday criticized Egypt and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, calling him a despot because of Egypt’s position regarding the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
He accused the Egyptian government of conniving with Israel to exclude Hamas from any peace deal in Gaza.
“The Egyptian regime is not legitimate,” he said. “And Israel threatens peace in the world and in the Middle East.”
The two countries have undergone strained relations since the ouster by the military of Egypt's first elected president, Mohamed Morsy, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood. Erdogan denounce the move, calling it a “coup”, which the new Sisi-led denied, saying the ouster was the result of a popular uprising.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
