CNN Arabic names Erdogan Man of the YearJanuary 7, 2011 - 14:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was voted Man of the Year for 2010 by readers of CNN's Arabic language website. Erdogan won the honor by a large margin, receiving 74% of the vote. His nearest competitor was Syrian President Bashar Assad, who received 20% of the vote. CNN Arabic, based in Dubai, stated that the results of the poll represent the "general mood of the Arab street," which has seen a rise in Erdogan's popularity since the events surrounding the Israeli raid of the Mavi Marmara and the diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel that followed. The website added that Erdogan was hailed in the Arab world for returning Turkey's allegiance to the East after decades of trying to "join the European club." Erdogan's position as a mediator between Iran and the West was also cited as a key reason for the Turkish prime minister's popularity in the Arab world. He was also seen as important in combating Syria's isolation in the region that arose in the aftermath of the Rafik Hariri assassination, The Jerusalem Post reported. 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 | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |