Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Egypt’s objection to the phrase “democratically-elected government” in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) statement on Turkey’s attempted coup is something “meaningful”.
According to Anadolu news agency, the spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry Tanju Bilgiç stated: “It’s natural for those who came to power through a coup to refrain from taking a stance against the attempted coup that targeted our president and government, who came to power through democratic elections.”
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Sunday, in which it denied blocking the UNSC’s condemnation statement. The ministry assured that it only demanded slight amendments in the wording of the statement drafted by the United States.
Reuters cited Egyptian Diplomatic sources on Saturday, who said that the UNSC is in no position to qualify a government as democratically-elected or not. Citing Egypt’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Amr Abul Atta, Reuters reported the suggested amendment was to omit the phrase “democratically-elected government”, and replace it with “respects the democratic and constitutional principles”, but the US reportedly refused to engage.
The US and the United Kingdom reportedly objected to the amendments requested by Egypt. The UNSC has not yet issued a statement on the attempted coup that occurred Friday night. In order for the UNSC statement to be released, the consensus of its 15 members is needed.
The UNSC’s unreleased statement tackled three elements: the council’s deep concerns over the instability in security, the rising violence and unrest, and the need to respect the democratically-elected government.
Turkey’s security has been unstable since Friday, as some military dissenters attempted a coup that failed overnight. In light of the attempted coup, about 6,000 were arrested, including soldiers and judges, and about 250 were killed.
