Turkey considers the stability and security of its friend and brother Egypt of vital importance for both Turkey and the region as a whole. The Egyptian Revolution, which has gone down in history as the Revolution of the 25th of January, was realized to meet the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, and Turkey has supported this expression of the free will of the noble Egyptian people.

Over the course of the past two years, the Egyptian people have waged a major struggle for freedom, justice, democracy, stability and economic development. They have held elections to elect their President and Parliament. These steps, taken within democratic rules and principles, have been the great achievements of the Egyptian people. A national consensus to be built on these achievements will lead Egypt towards a brighter and more prosperous future.

We are deeply distressed at this point in time by the events that have occurred among groups of different views, which have also been the cause of loss of lives. We wish that God’s peace be upon those who have lost their lives and a speedy recovery for the injured.

The events of the past few days should not overshadow the great historical accomplishments of the Egyptian Revolution. All parties should exert every effort to support and strengthen Egypt’s unity and solidarity, democratic institutions, stability and economic development, and refrain from all forms of violence and provocations. It is always possible to find solutions to political and economic problems through dialogue in an environment where democratic mechanisms are fully intact and operational.

It is a universally accepted fact of all democracies that political leaders who come to power through elections will also exit from power by way of elections. Both the Egyptian people and Administration are fully competent to determine a road map to overcome the current crisis through democratic means. Respecting the free will of the Egyptian people within the confines of Constitutional legitimacy will strengthen the democratic system in Egypt.

We hope that all parties in Egypt will refrain from violence, respect the rule of law and act with utmost common sense and restraint. We believe a societal consensus needs to emerge through dialogue and mutual understanding on the basis of constitutional democracy in order to overcome tensions and to bring as soon as possible the current developments to an end. Egypt has the culture, political will and wealth of knowledge to achieve this.

We are confident that Egypt, with its rich history and long state traditions, will leave behind these difficult times it is currently facing to build a prosperous new Egypt by applying the rule of law and democracy with all of its institutions, and continue to be a source of inspiration for the region.

As before, Turkey will continue to stand by its friend and brother Egypt and to support its political stability, unity and solidarity and economic prosperity.