Davutoglu denies Israel used Turkish base

In a televised interview on NTV on July 15, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu dismissed reports that Israel used an airbase in Turkey to carry out airstrikes on Syrian Mediterranean port city of Latakia. Underlining that such claims have been circulated on purpose in order to defame Turkey due to its active Middle East policy, Davutoglu said, "These claims are absolutely untrue. The news outlets putting forward such reports have an aim of defaming Turkey." Davutoglu added that Turkish national media outlets that spread those reports were committing an act of betrayal. In response to a question on whether Turkey could be a "haven" for the Egyptian opposition against the coup, Davutoglu said that this would not be a realistic scenario, because the Egyptian people had the chance to form an opposition in their own country, adding, "There are some elements that have remained from the old system in Yemen, Tunisia and Libya. Our foremost mission is to eliminate the possibility of making a reverse domino effect over external legitimacy. If we all allow something wrong in Egypt, there will be a reverse domino effect." Davutoglu also criticized the stance of the European Union (EU), saying that the African Union (AU) reacted in a more democratic way than the EU.