Egypt rejects Erdogan’s hostile comments as “filled with malice”

CAIRO, Feb. 27  — The Egyptian foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected the comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Egypt and its leadership as “clearly filled with malice.”
“The Turkish president’s statements also implied his continued support and loyalty for the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group,” the ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Erdogan criticized the European Union for attending the League of Arab States-EU Summit held in Egypt.
“Can you talk about democracy to EU states that accepted the invitation of (Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah) al-Sisi? Can you talk about rights and freedoms there? Can you talk about human rights there?” he said at a rally in Turkey’s northeastern province of Giresun.
In response, Hafez highlighted the current detentions and arrests in Turkey over the 2016 failed coup.
“Those statements came from the one who arrested more than 175 journalists and media workers, in addition to 70,000 political prisoners being behind bars,” he said.
Erdogan’s statements showed “the lack of credibility in what is promoted by the Turkish president,” the Egyptian spokesman added.
Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been strained since the Egyptian army ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was a close ally of Erdogan, following mass protests against his one-year rule in 2013. – XINHUA