Erdogan calls UAE minister impertinent over Ottoman tweet

ANKARA (Reuters) – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the UAE foreign minister impertinent on Thursday after he retweeted accusations that Ottoman forces looted Medina during World War I.

Without naming him, Erdogan said United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan – who shared a tweet accusing Ottoman troops led by Fakhreddin Pasha of stealing money and manuscripts from Medina in 1916 – was ignorant.

“Some impertinent man sinks low and goes as far as accusing our ancestors of thievery... What spoiled this man? He was spoiled by oil, by the money he has,” Erdogan told an awards ceremony at his Ankara palace.

“When my ancestors were defending Medina, you impudent [man], where were yours? First, you have to give account for this,” he added.

The UAE chargé d’affaires in Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over the matter, a ministry official said.

The United Arab Emirates, a close US ally, sees Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted ruling party as a friend of Islamist forces the UAE opposes across the Arab world.

Relations were further strained by Ankara’s support for Qatar after Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on the Gulf emirate in June.

Two months later, Abdullah criticized what he called Turkey and Iran’s “colonial” actions in Syria, though Turkey and the UAE have both opposed President Bashar Assad.

Medina, now part of Saudi Arabia, was under Ottoman rule until the empire’s collapse at the end of WWI.

On Wednesday, Erdogan said Fakhreddin Pasha, who led the Ottoman forces, had not stolen from Medina or its people but striven to protect the city – where the Prophet Muhammad was buried – and its occupants during a time of war.

“Believe me, this man who insulted us, who disrespected us, wouldn’t even know what the holy relics are. They are ignorant like this,” Erdogan said.