Media Commends Erdogan's Davos Conduct

The Syrian press applauded Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for storming off stage last week during a heated debate with Israeli president Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos.



The same news outlets criticised Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa, an Egyptian, for remaining on stage at the forum in Switzerland.



Erdogan accused the moderator of allowing Peres to speak for twice as long as other participants in a panel discussion on Israeli’s actions in Gaza, and of failing to let him respond.



Declaring that Davos was over for him, the prime minister walked off stage and returned to Turkey.



Syrian prime minister Muhammad Naji al-Otari reportedly sent Erdogan a cable commending his actions.



Meanwhile, Ali Jamalo, editor-in-chief of pro-government website Sham Press, called for Moussa to be fired.



“It has become a necessity,” he wrote. “Moussa fraternised with the enemy while Erdogan brought back the meaning of honour to the league after some Arab nations like Egypt forgot it.”



Eid Abu Seka expressed a similar sentiment in an opinion article that appeared in the state-backed Al-Baath newspaper on February 2.



“Erdogan decided not to miss the opportunity to allow Israel to lie without a response,” wrote Marwan Qablan in the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan.



“He took this upon himself after the person in charge failed to do so,” wrote Qablan, in a thinly veiled swipe at Moussa.