Egypt calls Turksih charge d’affairs to Cairo over Erdogan remarks

Egypt summoned the Turkish charge d’affairs to Cairo on Sunday over comments Islamist Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made, questioning Egypt’s ability to end the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza.

On Friday Erdogan called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi an “illegitimate … tyrant”, adding that Egypt “could not be relied upon” to broker a peace treaty between warring Israel and Gaza militant group Hamas.

Egypt’s deputy foreign minister for east and south European affairs summoned the Turkish charge d’affairs to the ministry’s headquarters to deliver a letter “expressing [Egypt’s] rejection and resentment” of Erdogan’s comments.

Formerly an ally of deposed president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, Erdogan, said Egypt is guilty of blocking humanitarian aid to Hamas coming in through the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza strip in north Sinai. Hamas was forged from principles similar to those of the Brotherhood.