Saturday, November 23, 2013

Egypt and Turkey in Row over Morsi

Egypt declares Turkish envoy persona non grata -- Turkey responds in kind

CNN International - ‎4 hours ago‎
(CNN) -- Turkey has declared Egypt's envoy to Ankara persona non grata in response to Cairo's decision to expel the Turkish ambassador, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign affairs announced Saturday.
Egypt official: Muslim Brotherhood backs unrest
Egypt and Turkey expel ambassadors amid diplomatic row
No respect for coup-installed rulers, says Turkey in Egypt row
Egypt, Turkey downgrade ties in row over Morsi

Egypt declares Turkish envoy persona non grata -- Turkey responds in kind

By Susannah Cullinane, CNN
updated 10:47 AM EST, Sat November 23, 2013
A portrait of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy is seen through a Turkish flag during a rally in Istanbul in August.
A portrait of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy is seen through a Turkish flag during a rally in Istanbul in August.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Egypt asked Turkey's ambassador to leave Saturday
  • Turkish media said Egypt attributed the move to Ankara's interference in its affairs
  • The Turkish government later declared Egypt's envoy persona non grata
  • The move follows a worsening in relations since the ousting of President Mohamed Morsy
(CNN) -- Turkey has declared Egypt's envoy to Ankara persona non grata in response to Cairo's decision to expel the Turkish ambassador, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign affairs announced Saturday.
The Egyptian government had earlier summoned Turkey's ambassador to inform him he was persona non grata and to ask him to leave the country, according to state media in both countries.
Egypt's Middle East News Agency said Egypt was also recalling its envoy to Ankara. Cairo lowered its diplomatic representation in Turkey to the level of charge d'affaires and withdrew its ambassador in August 2012.
Cairo had attributed the decision to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erodgan's criticism of Egyptian authorities and the country's internal affairs, Turkey's Anadolu news agency said.
In a statement, Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said its ambassador had been asked to leave Egypt by November 29.
It blamed Egypt's interim government for the move, but said the historic relationship and kinship between Egyptians and Turks would prevail.
Muslim Brotherhood ban upheld
Egypt on a 'proper path' to democracy?
Mohamed Morsy trial halted by chanting
"Our most heartfelt wish is that our friend and brother Egypt will in the shortest possible time return to stability and democracy and that relations between our countries go back to normal."
Anadolu quoted the ambassador, Huseyin Avni Botsali, as saying: "I will continue to pray for the good of Egypt. Egypt is very important. For Egypt to remain on the democratic path is essential for the region and for the world."
Botsali's expulsion is the latest indication of worsening relations between the two countries since the ousting of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy earlier this year.
Erdogan was accorded a hero's welcome when he visited post-revolution Cairo in late 2011. However, his government supported the election of the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Morsy in 2012 and spoke out when he was ousted in July this year.
At the time, Anadolu quoted Erdogan as saying "every military coup, regardless of its target, country and reason, is the murderer of the democracy, people and the future of the country."
Erdogan has even displayed the four fingered salute considered the symbol of defiance against Egypt's military rule.
There's a perception gaining ground in the region that the Turkish government is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood and that its foreign policy is defined by sectarian priorities
Fadi Hakura
In September, Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour singled out Turkey's reaction to Morsy's overthrow for criticism during an interview on state television.
"The Turkish reaction has reflected short-sightedness and personal interest, not realizing the amount of cooperation between the two countries," Mansour said, according to an account of the interview published by state-run media outlet Al-Ahram.
It is a shift from 2012, when Erdogan told an audience at his party conference -- that included then-President Morsy -- that Turkey was a role model for regional democratic Islamist movements in the wake of the Arab Spring.
"This understating that we have put forth has gone beyond our borders and has practically become an example to all Muslim countries," Erdogan said.
Fadi Hakura from the London think-tank Chatham House told CNN that Saturday's events were "a vivid illustration of Turkey's growing isolation in the Middle East."
"There's a perception gaining ground in the region that the Turkish government is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood and that its foreign policy is defined by sectarian priorities," Hakura said.
"Turkey has tense relations with Israel, the neighboring countries -- Iran, Syria and Iraq -- the majority of the Gulf Arab states and Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Jordan," he said.
Hakura said U.S. President Barack Obama also was deeply unhappy with Turkish foreign policy in the region.
"Since early August there has been no telephone contact between the U.S. President and Turkish Prime Minister and that's a reflection in part with Turkey's deepening isolation in the Middle East and also frustration in Ankara at Obama's reluctance to get involved in the conflict in Syria," he said.
Hakura said while tensions between Cairo and Ankara would not have a major impact on Turkish-U.S. relations, "what these events do is reduce the importance of Turkey to U.S. foreign policy calculations."
Last month Suat Kiniklioglu, a former lawmaker from Erdogan's AKP party, also warned that Turkey needed to reprioritize its foreign policy objectives in the Middle East after suffering serious setbacks in the region in recent months.
"Egypt is a key actor in the Middle East. There is a clear need to calibrate the language directed at Cairo, as well," Kiniklioglu wrote in the English language Today's Zaman newspaper.
"The falling out with Israel, the Arab Spring and especially the civil war in Syria have radically altered Turkey's position in the region," he said. "The coup in Egypt has added insult to injury. Consequently, Turkey is confronted with significant challenges on all fronts in the region," Kiniklioglu said.
CNN's Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.
end quote from:
 

Egypt declares Turkish envoy persona non grata -- Turkey responds in kind

No comments: