Turkish premier rejects "shift of axis" in Turkish foreign policy

ANKARA (A.A) - 10.05.2011 - Turkish prime minister has rejected allegations that Turkey had changed its traditional western-oriented foreign policy for a new high-profile appearance in the Middle East and the Black Sea area.
"Claims over an axis shift do not reflect the truth. Our foreign policy has only found its natural course," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Monday a televised interview on the private Turkish channel, Kanal 7.   
Touching on a wave of political unrest across the Middle East and North Africa, Erdogan said the uprising in Tunisia made a domino effect in the region.
"The clashes had reached Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Algeria and Morocco, and eventually to Libya. Frankly, we didn't expect such a turmoil to happen in Libya," Erdogan said, adding that he had spoken to the Libyan leader thrice when the incidents first erupted.  
Erdogan said Turkey welcomed the signing of a pact between Palestinian rivals Hamas and Al Fatah to end their four-year rift, adding that Turkey favored a solution to the Middle East problem through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.