Ambassador Namig Tan: Approach towards Israel is changing in Turkey after Anti-Defamation League’s statement
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27 Aug 2007 11:59 ]
“The strategic cooperation between Turkey and Israel is very important both regionally globally,” Turkish ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Israel Namig Tan told APA’s Israel bureau. Turkish ambassador characterized Turkey and Israel as democratic and secular states in the Middle East.
“This is a historical fact that Turkey is the first Muslim country to recognize Israeli state. The cooperation between Turkey and Israel has never broken in the past 59 years,” the Ambassador stressed.
Mr. Tan touching on economic elements of the relations said Turkey has no powerful economic partner but Israel in the region.
“The annual trade turnover between Turkey and Israel $2.5 billion. We want this digit reach $5 billion in coming years. 500,000 tourists visit Turkey from Israel every year,” he said.
Turkish Ambassador said Jewish organization Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) statement that it will recognize so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ made a great stir in Turkey.
“The so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ is a very sensitive issue in Turkey. We have always demonstrated great respect to Jewish community. Very good human relations have been established between Turkish and Jewish nations in the past 500 years. Turkey has always approached positively to Jewish lobby of America and Israel. However, aftermath the statement of Anti-Defamation League, the approach towards Israel is going to change, and it is not going to be positive. I think in this situation Israeli Foreign Ministry should address this diplomatic crisis and demonstrate its power and influence to Jewish lobby in the US in order such events between the two friendly peoples and states not repeat in the future,” he stressed. /APA/