Turkey received the highest approval rating from Arab people for its foreign policy, among seven regional and global powers, according to a survey by a Qatar-based research center.
The survey by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar studied the perspective of the Arab people about their own countries' policies and those of regional and global powers.
The 2019-2020 Arab Opinion Index conducted face-to-face interviews with 28,288 respondents in 13 Arab nations, including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia.
A total of 58% of respondents rated Turkey's foreign policies as "positive" or "positive, to some extent."
Some 28% had negative views on Ankara's foreign policy, while 14% "don't know" or declined to answer.
Turkey is followed by China at 55% and Germany with 52%.
"The Arab public's most negative foreign policy evaluation in the 2019-2020 poll is of the U.S., Russian, Iranian, and French foreign policies," said the report.
The U.S. and Iran received the highest negative rating, with 58% disapproving of their foreign policies.
In addition, 89% believe Israel poses a threat, 81% believe the U.S. poses a threat and 67% of respondents expressed the belief that Iranian policies threaten the security and stability of the region.
Turkey has been a leading regional power, which has been raising its voice against oppression, human rights violations and unlawful occupation of Palestinian land by Israel.
It has been a vocal critic of violent crackdowns on peaceful protesters during the Arab Spring, and Turkish officials have strongly criticized dictators and the lack of democracy in Arab countries.
Turkey has also criticized the Israeli government and sided with Palestinians against the occupation of land and illegal settlements, as well as U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called Deal of the Century.
Turkish officials have also strongly criticized Western countries for indifference to Islamophobia and anti-Muslim attacks, as well as discriminatory practices.
