Int’l community’s support for coup encouraged intervention: Turkey’s Prime Ministry

ANKARA

The Prime Ministry condemned 'in the strongest way' the administration in Egypt for resorting to violence against peaceful demonstrations, in a statement posted on its official website. Hürriyet photo

Turkey’s Prime Ministry has released a lengthy statement to voice the government’s sadness and concerns over the bloody crackdown in Egypt, alleging that the international community’s support for the military coup laid the ground for yesterday's intervention.

“We condemn in the strongest way the administration in Egypt for resorting to violence against peaceful demonstrations once again, despite all warnings,” the Prime Ministry said in the statement posted on its official website, as it called the attack on civilians “a heavy crime.”

“This bloody intervention by Egypt’s security forces against civilian and peaceful demonstrators has dealt a serious blow to hopes of fraternal Egypt’s return to democracy after an inclusive transition period. This intervention has clearly put forward the attitude of the current administration regarding the transition to democracy with the participation of all sides,” the Prime Ministry said.

“It is clearly seen that the fact that the international community has supported the military coup and remained silent on previous massacres, instead of protecting democracy and constitutional legitimacy in Egypt, has encouraged the current administration to conduct today’s intervention. The international community, especially the U.N. Security Council and Arab League, must act immediately to stop this massacre,” it said, while emphasizing that warnings and calls made by Turkey on the matter were aimed at ensuring the peace and serenity of the Egyptian people.

In the past few days, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan initiated separate telephone conversations with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as with his counterparts from the five permanent member countries of the U.N. Security Council, the statement said, noting that such efforts at maintaining a common stance among the international community would resume.

“We invite the temporary administration in Egypt to stop committing bloody acts against its own people, to conduct a convincing and transparent judicial investigation against those that have been committing massacres since July 30, 2013, to release all political prisoners starting with Mohamed Morsi and to initiate a real and inclusive political transition period,” the Prime Ministry said, pledging a continuation of all sorts of support from Turkey for the fraternal people of Egypt so that they can “escape from the current environment of chaos as soon as possible.”