ANKARA, Turkey, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused America of "double standards" in its response to comments he made accusing Israel of the turmoil in Egypt.
"What is it to the White House that it should respond. It should not have mentioned it, it should not had reacted like this. As two members of NATO, that one ally shows this kind of approach to the other is not appropriate," The Hurriyet Daily News quoted Erdogan saying Saturday.
"When I said that, an answer came from the White House. I was saddened. Because the interlocutor [of the comments] was not the White House. I did not mean the United States, but Israel," the paper quoted him saying. America's response to his comments only served to show the "double standard of the world," he said.
The Turkish prime minister was referring to the White House response over his statements concerning Israel earlier this month, who he said was responsible for the turmoil in Egypt.
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"Who is behind [the coup]? There is Israel. We have documents in our hands," Erdogan said Aug. 21 when speaking to members of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara. "What is said about Egypt?
That democracy is not the ballot box. Who is behind this? Israel is," Erdogan said.
"We strongly condemn the statements that were made by Prime Minister Erdogan. ... Suggesting that Israel is somehow responsible for recent events in Egypt is offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong. Statements like these only distract from the urgent need for all countries in the region, and frankly many leading countries around the world to work together through constructive dialogue to address the fluid and dangerous situation in Egypt," deputy White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing in response to Erdogan's Aug.21 remarks.
