Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president and the chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), made tremendous efforts during the party's 17 years rule to improve the negative perception of Arabs in Turkey.
In a 2010 statement, he said, “It is very wrong to judge with prejudice the relations Turkey developed with Arab nations. It is a gross fallacy to say ‘Arabs betrayed us.’ Unfortunately, we still have a mentality that even calls Arabs dogs."
