The call by Qatar's Emir for Turkey to normalize ties with Egypt during his visit to Ankara seemed to have failed in breaking the ice between Turkey and Egypt.
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters on Wednesday that rapprochement in relations with Cairo could only happen if Egypt returns to democracy fully and the will of Egyptian people are freely reflected in politics and social life.
He claimed that the democracy in Egypt was derailed and oppressive approach was adopted against civilians protesting peacefully.
The Egyptian government has denied similar charges before, stating that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was elected in free and fair elections after the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi amid popular protests.
The Turkish foreign ministry spokesman declined to comment on the change in Qatar's position with regard to the government of Egypt's president.
Qatar has recently announced its determination to repair ties with Egypt, parting ways with Turkey that has long been at odds with Cairo over ouster of Morsi.
The Gulf nation's decision came only after Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's visit to Turkey during which al Thani reaffirmed commitment to work with Turkey closely.
"The security of Egypt is important for the security of Qatar. The two countries are linked by deep and fraternal ties," a statement from the office of the Qatari Emir said.
It was reported that Saudi Arabia mediated the normalization talks between Qatar and Egypt whose relations worsened over Qatar's support to Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that is listed as terrorist organization by Egypt and most of the Gulf States.
Turkey downgraded relations with Egypt after what Ankara considered as a coup against former Muslim Brotherhood leader and elected president of Egypt Morsi amid popular protests backed by the military.
Referring to an unidentifed diplomatic sources, Turkish media reported on Wednesday that Qatari Emir urged Turkish leaders to follow his country's suit in normalizing ties with Egypt.
The Turkish foreign ministry spokesman declined to comment on these reports on Wednesday, citing it involved a third country.
"The main obstacle to normalization in ties with Egypt is the desire by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's desire to use bashing on Sisi for domestic politics," Abdullah Bozkurt, Turkish analyst, told Xinhua in an interview.
"We know that on several occasions within last year, Erdogan deliberately sabotaged the government's secret attempts to normalize ties with Egypt," he added.
Erdogan, an Islamist politician, has regularly spoken critically of Egypt's leader, saying that he came to power through a military coup and has no legitimacy.
Erdogan is known to be a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political Islamist group that was ousted from power by Sisi.
In what appeared to be another signal from the government, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Monday expressed that Turkey needs to mend its ties with Egypt, but it should be Egypt that first breaks the deadlock.
Qatari Emir's attempt to mediate between Turkey and Egypt was not the first effort. In fact, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also unsuccessfully tried to convince Erdogan in July that Turkey cannot contribute to peace in the Middle East without mending relations with Egypt, a key actor in the region.
