Yassin Aktay, an advisor to the president of the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey, affirmed that Turkey's principles are constant and its position on coups and human rights issues will not change, and that there is no need for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Aktay said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher that Turkey has differences with many countries, but there are understandings between them, and this understanding does not mean consensus on the level of all files.
The advisor to President Erdogan gave an example of Turkey's relationship with Russia, which it is facing in Syria and Libya, but it also cooperates with it on other issues in accordance with common interests.
Yassin Aktay to Al-Jazeera Mubasher: The Turkish position on the coups and the human rights file will not change pic.twitter.com/hqAyUEug9s
- Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) March 19, 2021
The advisor to the Turkish president added that human rights violations in Arab countries are a fait accompli and Turkey’s criticism of it is possible, just as many European countries criticize Turkey for having violations as well, and Turkey welcomes any international party if it wants to monitor Turkish prisons and listen to any criticism and believes that it follows human rights standards. Human is a matter for its benefit
Regarding what is reported about Egyptian opposition channels in Turkey reporting the tone down towards the Egyptian regime, Aktay said that he does not know what has been specifically reported to these channels, but if there are transgressions of the limits of objective criticism, then it should be noted that these are international relations.
Yassin Aktay to Al-Jazeera Mubasher: I do not expect Erdogan to meet Sisi, and I do not see that there is a need for that pic.twitter.com/L6DMLTzM9V
- Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) March 19, 2021
He added that when some channels in Denmark attacked Turkey, Turkey requested that those channels be closed, and although Denmark did not close them, this had an impact on its policies, and this exists in all countries.
"Turkey provides the highest degree of freedom of expression in the media, even to those channels that criticize the ruling regime and the Justice and Development Party, day and night, and no one asks them to stop, but we respond to them through our media," he said.
On the Turkish-Egyptian rapprochement, Aktay said that Egypt is closer to Turkey than Israel, for example, and Turkey has relations with Israel and deals with it despite the major differences between the two countries.
And with his question, "Was Turkey’s decision to align itself with the Egyptian opposition and its media wrong?"
Aktay said that Turkey does not regret what it did because it acted according to the principles it believes in, adding, "Turkey always favors democracy, freedoms and human rights and will not stop that. The Egyptian side did not ask to admit that what happened in 2013 was not a coup."
And about whether he expected a close meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, he said, "I do not expect that and it is not necessary."