Erdogan blames Egypt junta with state terrorism

BURSA

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that it is a state terrorism that is being carried out in Egypt.

Speaking at the "Ceremony of Urban Transformation" in Bursa, Turkish PM Erdogan reiterated his condemnation of military coup and the recent attacks on religious sites in Egypt.

"I strongly condemn all attacks targeting places of worship, no matter if it is a mosque or a church, since they are protected [sacred]," he told the crowd in Bursa.

Erdogan described as "brutal murderers" the perpetrators of the military coup and crackdown on peaceful protesters taking streets and squares in demand of democracy and asking for the return and "honour" of their votes as the Egyptian Army ousted the first democratically elected President of Egypt Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

"Those who staged the coup ignored the will of the people, and brutally killed their own citizens. State terrorism is being carried out in Egypt." added Turkish PM.

He also compared Syria's Assad and Egypt's Sisi, arguing that "Bashar (al-Assad) and al-Sisi are the same, and so are those who support them. There is no difference."

Erdogan stated that there are two different pictures of Egypt, as supporters and opponents of democracy.

"There are two scenes in Egypt; one is of those who follow the pharaoh, and the other is of those who follow Moses," he said.

Turkish Premier added "This is how history will evaluate the happenings in Egypt."

Erdogan slammed the international community failing to display the necessary stance and reaction against the military coup in Egypt and the following violence and crackdown by the Egyptian army on pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo.

"Those who stand silent in the face of the coup in Egypt will not be able to preach democracy in the future," he argued.

"The Security Council, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are too ashamed to face themselves looking into the mirror for their attitude in the face of the military coup in Egypt and the following massacres on the Egypt's peaceful protesters. Those who remain silent, approve and encourage the massacre with their silence while the Egyptian coup authorities, who poured bullets on the people demanding justice, are stuck in that blood so as not to face their conscience," Turkish PM Erdogan said regarding international stance on the military coup and the violent crackdown on anti-coup demonstrators.

Turkish PM repeated his critic of some states immediately providing the coup regime of Egypt that mounted the military coup with billions of financial aid, saying "Some poured aid of 16 billion dollars to the coup regime of Egypt after the military coup. In my opinion, those supporting the coup regime with 16 billion dollars are the partners of the coup regime in Egypt."

 "I invite those who attack places of worship to act sensibly, and I'm calling on all sides. But look at the game that's being played: The Muslim Brotherhood is trying to protect churches and the media - remember the 'Gezi' media in Turkey and around the world? - that's the same type of media coverage for Egypt. Do you know what they say? They say, 'the Muslim Brotherhood torched 30 churches.' But the fact is that they were trying to protect them," concluded Erdogan.

While addressing the crowd in Bursa regarding the situation in Egypt, Erdogan made the Rabaa sign, symbol of anti-coup protests.

Hundreds of protesters, including women and children, had taken refuge in the Al Fath Mosque in the Egyptian capital Cairo following assault by security forces in Ramses Square escalated.

Later, security forces tightened control over the entire square and besieged Fath Mosque and the nearby Tawheed Mosque.

More than 181 people were killed Friday in mass rallies staged by pro-democracy demonstrators in several Egyptian cities to protest Wednesday's violent dispersal of their two main protest sites in Cairo and Giza.

Egypt has been in a state of turmoil since security forces violently dispersed the sit-ins in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry has said that at least 638 people had been killed in nationwide violence since Wednesday, including 288 in Rabaa and 87 in Nahda.

However, the pro-Morsi alliance has put the number of deaths from the Rabaa sit-in alone at some 2,600.

englishnews@aa.com.tr