Turkey opens probe into alleged weapons transfer to Egypt

Iran Press TV

Fri Jul 19, 2013 12:0PM GMT

The Turkish government says it has launched an investigation into reports about shipment of weapons on a Turkish vessel to the crisis-stricken Egypt.

In a Thursday statement, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said it has asked the Turkish Embassy in Cairo to look into details of the incident and report to authorities.

On Wednesday, Egyptian sources said they had stopped a shipment of weapons on a commercial vessel belonging to a Turkish company. Investigation teams also say they have found around 20,000 pistols with silencers in one of the containers.

"In order to launch the necessary investigation, concrete information about the weapons that have allegedly been seized is being demanded from the relevant Egyptian authorities through the Turkish Embassy in Cairo," the Turkish ministry said.

The ministry added that Ankara attaches "crucial importance to the stability and peace of brotherly Egypt."

Relations between Ankara and Cairo went sour following a military coup in Egypt which led to the removal of President Mohamed Morsi.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has harshly criticized the ouster of Morsi, a move which has irked the military-backed interim administration in Egypt.

Egypt plunged into a fresh wave of unrest after the military deposed Morsi on July 3 and declared the following day the chief justice of Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, as caretaker president.

The Arab country has since witnessed an unrelenting wave of deadly clashes between Morsi supporters, his opponents and security forces. Dozens of people have been killed in the turmoil so far.

MKA/KA/SS