Egypt's coup sign of 'backwardness,' says ruling AKP Spokesperson

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Turkey's ruling AKP Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik addresses the media in Ankara June 12. REUTERS photo

The Egyptian military’s coup ousting elected President Mohamed Morsi is a sign of “backwardness,” ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Spokesperson Hüseyin Çelik told reporters July 3, accusing some Western countries of supporting it.

“Morsi deservedly won by his own efforts the elections organized by a bureaucracy inherited from Hosni Mubarak’s era and that took weeks to come to a conclusion,” Çelik said, comparing the developments in Egypt with the 1960 and 1980 coups in Turkey.  

“This coup has also received foreign support. Some Western countries have not accepted Muslim Brotherhood’s arrival to power. They have mobilized the streets, then issued a memorandum, and are now staging the coup,” Çelik also said.

Çelik warned that Turkey was concerned about confrontations that could lead to an eventual bloodshed. “Can Morsi resist against tanks and artillery cannons? We don’t know that. If Morsi’s supporters fight with his opponents, blood will be spilled. We will not approve that.” 

Çelik added it was unlikely that the army could straighten the economy.

“We should appreciate Morsi’s position against coup supporters and object to any kind of coup anywhere,” said Bağış.  

Numan Kurtulmuş, vice president of the AKP, said it was not possible for people who believe in democracy to accept the coup in Egypt. “We should see it as a blow that was delivered directly to the people of Egypt.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will hold a press conference over the latest developments in Egypt at 1 p.m. today.

Hours earlier, Egypt’s military unveiled a new political roadmap, announcing the appointment of the head of the Constitutionnal Court as the interim President of a technocratic government.