CAIRO, Jan 4 (Aswat Masriya) The Qatari foreign ministry has expressed concern over recent violence in Egypt and denounced efforts to oppress protests across the Middle East’s most populous country.

Seventeen people were killed in confrontations between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and security forces across the country on Friday, the interior ministry said.

“The decision to turn popular political movements to terrorist organizations and turn demonstration into a terrorist act was not helped by stopping peaceful protests, but served as an introduction to the policy of shooting protesters with the purpose of killing them,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

It added that recent violence in Egypt only proves that security confrontation in Egypt will not lead to stability, suggesting dialogue between the different political factions.

Tension grew between Qatar and Egypt after the army’s ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in July following mass demonstrations.