Turkey asks Egypt to respect democratic rules

Ankara has called on Egyptian authorities to respect the rule of law and the people’s will by sticking to democratic norms, in an apparent reference to the army’s possible intervention into the country’s crisis-torn political scene.

“Turkey sees the stability and security of brother and friend Egypt as crucially important for both our country and the region, and Turkey has always supported the free will of Egyptians in the Jan. 25 revolution,” a Foreign Ministry statement said today.

Egypt’s armed forces chief was meeting today with opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei and top Sunni Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders ahead of the army’s deadline due to expire at around 5 p.m.