Turkish FM Slams EU's Decision to Attend Summit in Egypt as 'Double Standard'

ANKARA (Sputnik) - The European Union's decision to attend the EU-Arab League Summit in Egypt demonstrates a political double standard, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

"When the entire EU leadership takes part in an event where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi is present, is an expression of political double standards at its highest form", the foreign minister told journalists in Ankara.

Relations between Turkey and Egypt have been strained since 2013, when the Egyptian military, then led by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, ousted his predecessor Mohammad Mursi, a close ally of Turkish President Tayyip Ergodan.

READ MORE: Turkey Hopes to Normalize Ties With Egypt as PM Plans to Find Ankara Friends

That same year both countries recalled their ambassadors from their respective missions. Shortly thereafter, Egypt declared the Turkish ambassador to its country a persona non grata, and Turkey followed suit.

The first EU-Arab League summit was held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday and Monday. It was the first meeting between the European Union and League of Arab States at the level of government heads and focused on strengthening the Euro-Arab partnership, addressing common challenges and boosting cooperation in security.

Turkey has been formally negotiating its accession to the European Union since 2005. On Thursday, the European Parliament voted to suspend Ankara's accession talks, citing Turkey's alleged disregard for human rights and civil liberties as the reason for its decision, even though it had abolished capital punishment, a point of contention with the bloc, in 2002.

READ MORE: Egypt to Cooperate With Turkey Given Ankara's Non-Interference