In phone call, Erdogan, Obama urge democracy in Egypt

Amid continuing unrest in Egypt, US President Barack Obama telephoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday to discuss ways of working together to prevent the entire Middle East from falling into deep instability. Both nations "agree on the necessity to meet the legitimate and democratic rights of the people in the region," read a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. According to the statement, Obama and Erdogan urged the leaders of regional countries not to use force against their people. "These incidents should not bring about deep and ingrained instability," it said, adding that Turkey and the US "share concerns that instability could cause detrimental consequences in the region." The statement said Obama made the call because he values how Erdogan, the winner of successive elections in successfully democratic Turkey, sees the situation in Egypt. The statement said the two leaders agreed to stay in close contact in order to properly evaluate developments.