The Syrian delegation to the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran on Thursday walked out in protest during a speech by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said.
Morsy called the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “despotic” and urged it to step down in the face of the civil war ongoing in the country, which he called “a revolution against an oppressive regime.”
The speech was “interference in Syria’s internal affairs and…instigation for continuing the shedding of Syrian blood,” Moallem said, Syrian state television reported.
The delegation returned to the summit after Morsy wrapped up his speech, Moallem said.
Libyan TV channel Al Mayadin reported earlier that the Syrians walked out because the head of the delegation had an interview appointment.
Morsy heads the 120-state Non-Aligned Movement Group that was created in the middle of last century against the backdrop of political polarization during the Cold War.
