Arabic broadcasters do not broadcast through Turkey: Turkish officials

Sevil Erkuş - sevil.erkus@hurriyet.com.tr ANKARA

DHA Photo

Arabic television stations, which were accused by Cairo of prompting violence in Egypt via broadcasts through Turkey, do not have a license from Turkish authorities to broadcast through the country, a foreign ministry official has said.

“These stations do not broadcast through Turkey,” the official told the Hürriyet Daily News, though the official did not elaborate on the avenue of the broadcast. This message has also been delivered to Egyptian authorities, the official noted.

The content of the broadcasts are tailored in the stations’ facilities in Turkey, another official told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the chargé d’affaires of Egypt’s Embassy in Ankara, Hussein Elsaharty, late on Feb. 11 to convey Ankara’s “uneasiness” over Egyptian officials’ accusations over Arabic television channels broadcasting online to Egypt from Turkey.

The ministry conveyed its unease over “baseless” accusations by Egyptian authorities toward Ankara over Arabic broadcasters from Turkey and asked Cairo to end these accusations, according to diplomatic sources.

Egypt’s foreign ministry had summoned the Turkish embassy chargé d’affaires in Cairo last week and asked for explanation from Ankara over the claims. The Turkish diplomat had clarified that the Arabic stations “do not broadcast through Turkey,” a Turkish diplomat told the Hürriyet Daily News.

In the meeting, the Turkish foreign ministry criticized Egyptian authorities because they continued slamming Turkey on the issue through the media, although Ankara had explained the legal situation of those stations to the Turkish embassy in Cairo.  

Ankara demanded Cairo raise its concerns through bilateral state channels, not media reports.
The broadcasts by three stations – Aan, Rabia and Al-Şark – which have reportedly called for violence and called on foreigners to leave Egypt, have aroused concern in Cairo. The stations have also allegedly called on foreigners to leave Egypt before an investment summit next month, saying they had received intelligence information that police and soldiers would be targeted and killed.

Turkey and Egypt mutually withdrew their ambassadors from each other’s capitals amid tension following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in a 2013 military coup staged by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Turkey has remained a vocal opponent to el-Sisi’s leadership, frequently directing accusations at the Egyptian leader.