Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Dec. 24 that Turkey and France have different stances on Arab Spring countries and some countries, like France, are discontent with Turkey’s emerging power in the region. He said Turkey supported the people of Tunisia and Egypt during their uprising to their autocratic regimes. He also said France had taken an opposite attitude, while speaking to Turkish state-owned TRT1 channel. Responding to a question of whether the France’s resolution penalizing the denial of Armenian genocide allegations was a result of the struggle for influence in the region, Davutoğlu said Turkey and France drifted apart in their stances toward Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. He said that France has supported autocratic leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. He said France felt guilty for its support these regimes and attempted to act bilaterally in Libya before any U.N. decision was taken. “If you are asking whether some [powers] are discontent with Turkey’s emerging power in the region, yes, they are. But this will not change our efforts or principles,” Davutoğlu said.