Gul: Relations between Turkey, Egypt to be restored soon

Relations between Turkey and Egypt "will be restored soon," Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Saturday, shortly after Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador in Cairo. On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the Egyptian interim government and condemned the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. Egypt considered these remarks as "provocative" and decided earlier on Saturday to recall its ambassador to Turkey and expel Ankara's ambassador in Cairo. "There is an extraordinary situation between Turkey and Egypt, which we consider as cyclical. We hope Egypt will regain democracy as soon as possible," Gul told reporters. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry will hold a meeting about measures to respond to Egypt's move of expelling its ambassador Huseyin Avni Botsali and declaring him "persona non grata," local media Today's Zaman reported. Tensions between the two countries have mounted since Egyptian military toppled Morsi. In August, Egypt summoned its ambassador to Turkey for consultation on bilateral relations.