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Turkish president expresses confidence in Egypt’s military

03 March 2011 21:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed his confidence Thursday that the Egyptian military will meet peoples’ expectations by overseeing a successful transition to democracy, APA reports quoting monstersandcritics.com wevsite.

Gul made the remarks after talks with leaders of Egypt’s armed forces, Defence Minister Mohamed Tantawi, and opposition activists during a one-day visit to Cairo.

"I have closely watched Marshal Tantawi and his colleagues meet the expectations and demands of the Egyptian people and youth and they have vowed to do what is needed in a short period of time," Gul told reporters.

The Turkish president also met several opposition leaders, including Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie. Also at the meeting was Ayman Nour, head of the al-Ghad opposition party.

"All Muslim countries need reforms," Gul said after his meetings.

The Egyptian armed forces have been in charge of the country since former president Hosny Mubarak resigned last month, following nationwide protests.

In addition, Gul re-emphasized Turkish support for helping evacuate Egyptians out of Tunisia, and announced the formation of a bilateral committee for coordinating humanitarian aid to Egyptians stranded at the border after fleeing Libya.

Another committee will foster cooperation in the field of tourism.

While in Cairo, he also met with the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, who has signaled he might run for presidency.

Turkey and Egypt have enjoyed good relations, with Egypt being the first Arab country Gul visited after taking office in 2007.

"Our expectation and wish is that Egypt come out of this transition period even stronger," Gul had told reporters before his trip.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan was one of the first international leaders to call on Mubarak to listen to the demands of the people during the uprising in the country.