Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi was the only legitimate president of Egypt in an interview with a Turkish newspaper.

"Currently, my president in Egypt is Morsi because he was elected by the people," he told the pro-government Today's Zaman. "If we don't judge the situation like that it is tantamount to ignoring the Egyptian people," he added.

Erdogan, who is also leader of the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development party (AKP), which hold close ties with Morsi's party, had already declared the ousting of the president in early July a "coup".