Arab world unready to endorse Turkey’s regional leadershipFebruary 12, 2011 - 14:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ankara’s early reaction to the developments in Egypt could be in Turkey’s interest; the regime change in Egypt would undoubtedly raise Turkey’s growing prestige on the Arab streets, Professor Mensur Akgun stated. Mubarak resigned as president and handed control to the military after 29 years in power, bowing to a historic 18-day wave of pro-democracy demonstrations by hundreds of thousands, The Associated Press reported. Amid speculation that the crisis in Egypt was bringing a rivalry for regional leadership between Turkey and Egypt out in the open, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s calls for Mubarak to go immediately have been well-received by the Egyptian activists gathered in Cairo’s central Tahrir (Liberation) Square. “Turkey will benefit from the position it has adopted on the uprising in Egypt. The prime minister will not keep the points in his pocket alone. That demonstrates that Turkish politics are being embraced by the countries in the region,” said Akgun. Support for Turkey in the Arab world increased by 5 percent points in 2010, up from 75 percent in 2009, according to a recent survey, Akgun said. The Arab response to Erdogan’s support for the Egyptian protesters’ demands does not necessarily mean, however, that there is an endorsement of Turkey’s regional leadership, said Recep Boztemur, head of the Middle East Studies Center at Middle East Technical University. “These are two separate issues,” he noted. “Prime Minister Erdogan has been addressing the populace. He did this during the government crisis in Lebanon last month and also in the Egypt crisis. However, receiving public support and playing a leadership role are two different things,” Hurriyet Daily News cited him as saying. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. |