Turkey has suspended almost thirty agreements and cooperative protocols with Egypt in various fields such as transportation, education and health that were signed during Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Egypt last year. According to Sabah Al-Yom newspaper, the decision was made in response to the “military coup” and the “massacres” of protesters by security forces.
The sale of 10 pilotless “Anka” surveillance aircraft will be the first to be affected by the cancellation; they are considered to be among the most advanced in the world. Turkey plans to suspend all military manoeuvres between the two countries and will not send the Turkish ambassador, Ahmet Yildiz, to Cairo despite a government decree that he should have been in post by July 4th. The Erdogan government also plans to cancel all cruises between the Turkish port of Iskenderun and Egypt’s Port Said.
Speaking at a community programme in Istanbul on Sunday night, Erdogan insisted, “We will not remain silent regarding the current situation in Egypt.” He criticised “all those who remain silent towards the massacre [in Raba’a Adawiyya Square] because they had a role in this ugly crime.”