President Gül says situation in Egypt ‘temporary’

Turkey and Egypt are “two of a kind,” President Abdullah Gül said, as he likened the current political environment in Egypt to post-coup eras in Turkey, indicating it was only a temporary situation.

Speaking to reporters while in Kırklareli on June 18, Gül was asked whether bilateral relations between Turkey and Egypt might enter a new era considering that he recently congratulated Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on being elected as Egyptian president.

In response, Gül first underlined how the two countries have had friendly relations throughout history.
“We are on the two shores of the Mediterranean. We are almost like ‘the two parts of the same apple,’” Gül added, using a Turkish idiom that means being “two of a kind.”

“What is going on in Egypt is unfortunately saddening; that a lot of people are currently in prison and that the elected government’s term ended with a coup. All of these happened in a friendly country like Egypt, but no doubt, it shall not go on like this. As you might remember, these kinds of things took place in our country only 20 to 30 years ago. Our transition to democracy was achieved in a short period of time,” Gül said.

The army, traditionally deeming itself the guarantor of Turkey’s secularism, had overthrown three administrations: in 1960, 1971 and 1980. As recently as 1997, as part of a move referred to as the “post-modern coup,” the army forced Turkey’s first Islamist-led government to resign.

“As Turkey, we hope Egypt’s transition to democracy is short and they pass through [this turbulent period] without harm. We encourage this. The Egyptian people and Turkish people have always been fraternal. This...