Turkey strongly rejected the remarks of Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi who claimed that Turkey was one of the countries that “interferes” in the region.
Following the end of the Arab League summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, the Egyptian diplomat was asked to name the "foreign powers" behind the chaotic environment in Arab countries.
“I will answer this question indirectly,” al-Arabi said. “There is meddling by some neighbors; Israel on one side and Turkish and Iranian interference in several countries.”
During his weekly address to the press, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said the ministry summoned Mohamed El Fatah Naciri, the representative of the Mission of the Arab League in Turkey, on Monday.
"We harshly expressed to Naciri that the statements of al-Arabi can never be accepted," said Bilgic.
Bilgic added that al-Arabi's statements did not reflect the ideas of Arab people, rather he said these under the influence of his nationality.
Relations between Egypt and Turkey have soured dramatically since the army ousted Mohamed Morsi – Egypt's first freely elected president – in mid-2013 following protests against his rule.
- Turkish president's visit to Iran
Bilgic said there were no changes to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Iran after allegations of a possible cancelation surfaced following Erdogan’s criticism of Tehran for trying to “increase its influence” in the region.
Erdogan had spoken to reporters on Monday at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport and said there were no changes to his April 7 visit to Iran.
Bilgic also said that, during the visit, the second meeting of the Turkish-Iranian High Level Cooperation Council will take place and the leaders will discuss bilateral, regional and international developments.
"Apart from living in the same geography and sharing the same boundary, what makes the relations with Iran special is that we can handle all the issues, including dissensus," said Bilgic.
- Saudi-led "Operation Decisive Storm" in Yemen
Regarding the Saudi-backed operation to halt Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen, Bilgic said: "There are no specific developments in logistical and intelligence cooperation."
In an interview with FRANCE 24 last week, Erdogan said that Ankara may consider providing "logistical support" to the mission.
Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "We said we can give every kind of support, including intelligence, but not military support."
When asked if Turkey was playing a part in ensuring dialogue between the parties, Bilgic said: "There is no mediation in the Yemen issue, but we are closely following it."
- Seizing control of Idlib in northwestern Syria
The spokesman said that claims that Turkey helped Islamist rebels stage an assault on Idlib in northwestern Syria are groundless and are “originated by the Syrian regime.”
The Syrian General Revolution has said "revolutionaries" have completely seized control of the city on March 28.
Syrian opposition factions, under a single military group named Jeysh al-Fatah, had started military operations against Syrian regime forces in Idlib last week.
Bilgic added that there was no unusual situation at the border gates.
"There is no immigration pressure on Turkey's border, where the controls have recently been tightened," he said.
Syria has been gripped by constant fighting since President Bashar al-Assad's regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict that has spiraled into a civil war that left more than 210,000 people dead, according to the UN.
