Turkey against sanctions on LibyaFebruary 24, 2011 - 14:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey is opposed to sanctions against Libya over its bloody crackdown on anti-regime protests as they are likely to hurt the country's already impoverished people, Turkey's prime minister said. "It is wrong to act hastily in such situations. And it is not right at present to impose sanctions on Libya since such measures punish the people," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with the AFP late Feb 23. He was speaking after the United States and the European Union raised the prospect of slapping sanctions on Libya over its deadly crackdown on protests against veteran strongman Moamer Kadhafi since last week, following similar uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Erdogan described the turmoil as "very worrying" but added he was "convinced that those who govern Libya will eventually see the realities." "We are not supposed to meddle in Libya's affairs... and it is up to the Libyan people to decide their own fate," he said. Turkey has notable economic interests in Libya, where about 200 Turkish companies are involved in construction projects amounting to more than $15 billion (11 billion euros). Since the weekend, Turkey has scrambled to repatriate thousands of nationals from the North African country, where about 25,000 Turks are based, mostly as employees of construction sites. On Feb 22, Erdogan urged Libya against making the "mistake" of ignoring its people's demands for freedom and warned that "ruthless interventions against those who voice democratic demands will increase the spiral of violence." 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 | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |