ISTANBUL (AA) - Egypt's ousted leader Mohamed Morsi has not requested asylum from Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference following a bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart.
"No such request has been received as yet," Erdogan said. Morsi is believed to be kept under house arrest in the Egyptian capital of Cairo in Republican Guard headquarters.
Referring to rumors that Morsi might be tried within 48 hours, Erdogan said such an attempt would be wrong.
"It would be a historic mistake," Erdogan said. "What they should do is hold elections as soon as possible."
Erdogan maintained that respect to the will of the people entails constitutional legitimacy.
"[In Egypt] there was a dictatorship, an autocratic regime, and Egypt lived with it for thirty years. What happened during that period is clear. But now there is an elected president with 52% backing," he said. "After a year, you see some groups say 'we don't like him', and the army intervenes."
"This coup will have its place in history as part of a chain of coups d'etat but never as a democratic approach," he said.
- Politicians' mistakes
Erdogan dismissed Morsi's "poor performance" as a valid excuse for ousting him.
"Every politician might make mistakes. I too may have made mistakes, so may others," he said. "It is not incumbent upon some dominant powers to impose the penalty. Such responsibility manifests only in the will of the people. It is the people who can take a leader down and teach him or her a lesson."
"As a nation that has borne the brunt of military juntas in its democratic experience, we cannot approve of or applaud these [happenings]."
Erdogan described on Friday what happened in Egypt as the suppression of minority upon majority.
Speaking at the "Congress of Turkish scientists living abroad", Erdogan stated that anywhere in the world, military coups against democratically elected governments were bad as they target the people and democracy.
During his speech, Turkish Premier stressed that a certain minority in Egypt as well as the army were trying to impose their will on the Egyptian people.
Erdogan slammed those ignoring democracy, will of the people and the rule of the selected, saying "Condemners of nation's choice are not different than dictators."
"'No' to suppression of minority upon majority, 'Yes' to ruling of majority over minority," he noted.
He also rebuffed those who trusted media and the weaponry in their hands, urging that they could not bring democracy, adding that those who exerted efforts to cover up coups and remained silent to these, were as responsible as the coup makers.
Turkish PM Erdogan expressed his concerns over the arbitrary detentions and detention of the elected leaders in Egypt, warning against possible future traumas they may lead to.
"Democracy must be immediately implemented in Egypt and all political segments must join elections," he pointed out democracy as the solution in Egypt.
Erdogan advised all parties in Egypt to avoid any violence, clash and chaos in the process after the military coup.
Reminding the coups in Turkish history, Erdogan told that "Every military coup cost Turkey decades, crippling national economy. Throughout the Turkish history, coup makers have succeeded in taking over administration but never reached their ultimate goals. Leaders and supporters of coups in Egypt must remember those realities from Turkish history."
Turkish Premier also called on the whole world to take a sincere, principled and moral stance against military coups.
Erdogan criticized the international media and international institutions failing to display a proper stance against military coup in Egypt, stressing that European Union disregarded its own values by avoiding to call the military intervention in Egypt as a coup.
Besides, Turkish PM Erdogan appreciated the African Union which suspended Egypt's membership after the coup, describing it as the "proper stance."
Turkish PM says gov't working to lift visa requirement for Thai nationals
Erdogan said Friday a 30-day visa waiver between Turkey and Thailand had increased the number of Thai tourists visiting Turkey, adding that his government was working on to lift visa requirements on Thai nationals completely.
Spaeking at a press conference in Istanbul with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra, Erdogan said there was a strong and close relationship between Turkey and Thailand, adding "we endeavor to promote futher the relations between our two nations."
"About 50 thousand Turkish tourists visited Thailand last year. The number Thai tourists visiting Turkey has also increased thanks to a 30-day visa waiver since July last year. Turkey is working on lifting visas completely between the two countries," Erdogan said.
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on her part, said "we are in a close relationship with Turkey on the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Today, we decided to improve our ties even further."
Earlier today, Turkey and Thailand signed an extradition agreement, and two MoUs to boost cooperation.
Separately, Erdogan also hosted a dinner in the honor of his counterpart.
Trading volume between two countries hovers around $1.5 billion.
In 2012, Thailand's exports to Turkey reached $1.1 billion, while Turkey's exports to Thailand amounted to $243 million.
