A statement’s by Egypt foreign ministry Tuesday condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements about Egypt at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), describing them as a "desperate attempt to divert attention away from his regime’s deteriorating popularity and his latest domestic and international defeats."
In his speech before the UNGA on Tuesday, Erdogan renewed his previous call to launch an investigation into the death of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who died of a heart attack last June.
Ministry spokesperson Ayman Hafez said that Erdogan’s baseless allegations pretend to defend justice while in reality they express hatred of the Egyptian people, who have nothing but respect for the Turkish nation.
Hafez said that Erdogan’s statements "were ironic in the light of his sponsorship of terrorism in the region and his continued violations against the rights of the Turkish people on flimsy pretexts."
The spokesperson condemned Erdogan’s remarks, enumerating points to show that Erdogan’s allegations were absurd.
"As the violations committed by the Turkish president’s regime are not hidden anymore," the statement noted them as follows:
1. There are more than 75,000 political prisoners in Turkey who include civilian and military persons. This is why Turkey is witnessing a surge in building prisons.
2. Scores of its prisoners have died under dubious circumstances, torture, and illness as a result of maltreatment inside Turkish prisons.
3. More than 130,000 government employees were arbitrarily dismissed.
4. Thousands of academics were fired and more than 3,000 universities, schools, and educational institutions were closed.
5. Turkey has become one of the leading nations in the world oppressing and jailing journalists and media workers, according to international reports.
6. Scores of Turks has fled their country due to ongoing oppressive campaigns
The foreign ministry charged that Erdogan sponsors terrorism in various countries in the region, such as Syria, saying the Turkish president turned Turkey into a haven for extremist and outlawed terrorist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Hafez said Erdogan’s regime has provided the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood with political support and media platforms that the group used to promote their destructive ideas in Egypt and the whole region.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan both gave speeches before the 74th United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
