Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday criticised Turkey’s military offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria, the presidency said.
In a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Sisi “affirmed Egypt’s rejection of the Turkish aggression on Syria’s territory and sovereignty,” a statement from his office said.
Turkey bombarded northeastern Syrian border towns with air strikes and artillery on Wednesday, before troops moved across the border and attacked some of the key towns in the area.
Sisi warned the operation would have “adverse effects” on the “stability and security of the entire region”.
On Wednesday, the Arab League warned that Turkey’s attack could help the Islamic State group “regain some of its force”.
Regional foreign ministers will gather in Cairo on October 12 to discuss Turkey’s intervention, the Arab League’s assistant secretary-general Hossam Zaki said.
Turkey’s incursion has sparked international anger and raised fears of a renewed refugee crisis.
The attack followed an abrupt US policy shift that saw the United States withdraw troops from positions near the border in northern Syria, effectively greenlighting Turkey’s military incursion.
Relations between Ankara and Cairo deteriorated after 2013, when Sisi led the military overthrow of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, whom Turkey supported.