Turkey won’t send congratulatory message to ‘coup administration’ in Egypt

ANKARA

Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chair Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. DHA photo

Turkey will not send a congratulatory message the “coup administration” in Egypt, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chair Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, stressing that the fact Turkish officials have been holding talks with the Egyptian ambassador in Ankara does not mean that Turkey has been “recognizing the coup administration.”

“We clearly expressed to him that in principle the AKP is against coup d’états … We told him that we won’t send a congratulatory message to an administration appointed by a coup,” Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency today.

However, he also added that Turkey was keeping open dialogue channels with Egypt. “We believe in civil democracy. We are not against the Egyptian people, and we do not make such a distinction as ‘pro-Morsi’ or ‘anti-Morsi,’” he said.

Turkish officials have not had any contact with new Egyptian administration, Çavuşoğlu said.

Earlier this week, President Abdullah Gül and some other Turkish officials met with Egypt’s Ambassador to Ankara Abdel-Rahman Salaheddin.