( CNN ) -- The Turkish and Egyptian governments engaged in a round of tit-for-tat diplomacy Saturday , with Egypt first expelling Ankara 's ambassador and Turkey reciprocating . Cairo blamed its decision to declare Turkish Ambassador Huseyin Avni Botsali `` persona non grata '' -- or unwelcome -- on Ankara 's interference in its domestic affairs , Turkey 's Anadolu Agency news outlet said . Turkey accused Egypt of not respecting `` the will of the people , '' downgraded its diplomatic relationship with Cairo , and declared its ambassador unwelcome . Cairo had lowered its diplomatic representation in Turkey to the level of charge d'affaires and withdrew its ambassador in August . The diplomatic spat is the latest sign of a worsening relationship between the two nations and one that an analyst said vividly illustrated Turkey 's `` growing isolation in the Middle East . '' The relationship between the countries went sour after the Egyptian military in July ousted President Mohamed Morsy and his government . Morsy , a Muslim Brotherhood leader , had close ties with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party ( AKP ) . After it toppled Morsy , Egypt banned the brotherhood 's activities and froze its finances . Erdogan -- who was accorded a hero 's welcome when he visited post-revolution Cairo in late 2011 -- has spoken out strongly against Egypt 's post-Morsy leadership . Read more : Egypt 's war of symbols . Fadi Hakura from the London think-tank Chatham House told CNN that Saturday 's events were `` a vivid illustration of Turkey 's growing isolation in the Middle East . '' `` There 's a perception gaining ground in the region that the Turkish government is allied to the Muslim Brotherhood and that its foreign policy is defined by sectarian priorities , '' Hakura said . `` Turkey has tense relations with Israel , the neighboring countries -- Iran , Syria and Iraq -- the majority of the Gulf Arab states and Morocco , Algeria , Egypt and Jordan , '' he said . Hakura said U.S. President Barack Obama also was deeply unhappy with Turkish foreign policy in the region . `` Since early August there has been no telephone contact between the U.S. President and Turkish Prime Minister and that 's a reflection in part with Turkey 's deepening isolation in the Middle East and also frustration in Ankara at Obama 's reluctance to get involved in the conflict in Syria , '' he said . Hakura said while tensions between Cairo and Ankara would not have a major impact on Turkish-U.S. relations , `` what these events do is reduce the importance of Turkey to U.S. foreign policy calculations . '' It is a shift from 2012 , when Erdogan told an audience at his party conference -- that included then-President Morsy -- that Turkey was a role model for regional democratic Islamist movements in the wake of the Arab Spring . `` This understating that we have put forth has gone beyond our borders and has practically become an example to all Muslim countries , '' Erdogan said . Last month Suat Kiniklioglu , a former lawmaker from Erdogan 's AKP party , also warned that Turkey needed to reprioritize its foreign policy objectives in the Middle East after suffering serious setbacks in the region in recent months . `` Egypt is a key actor in the Middle East . There is a clear need to calibrate the language directed at Cairo , as well , '' Kiniklioglu wrote in the English language Today 's Zaman newspaper . `` The falling out with Israel , the Arab Spring and especially the civil war in Syria have radically altered Turkey 's position in the region , '' he said . `` The coup in Egypt has added insult to injury . Consequently , Turkey is confronted with significant challenges on all fronts in the region . '' CNN 's Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report .
Egypt asked Turkey 's ambassador to leave Saturday . Turkish media said Egypt attributed the move to Ankara 's interference in its affairs . The Turkish government later declared Egypt 's former ambassador unwelcome . The move follows a worsening in relations since the ousting of President Mohamed Morsy .