TURKISH OFFICIAL PRAISES TIES WITH ISRAEL

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
March 7 2007

JERUSALEM (A.A) -07.03.2007 -"We aim at contributing to efforts of
providing tranquillity in the Middle East," Turkish State Minister
Kursad Tuzmen said on Wednesday.

Tuzmen, who is currently paying an official visit to Israel to attend
Turkey-Israel Joint Economy Commission meetings and to hold a series
of talks with the aim of boosting commercial and economic relations
between the two countries, visited al-Haram al-Sharif, al-Aqsa Mosque
and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.

Replying to questions of journalists during the tour, Tuzmen said,
"people of Turkish descent in Israel serve as a bridge between our
two countries. They make valuable contributions to our bilateral
relations with Israel."

"There are many Jewish people among leading businessmen in Turkey.

Also, nearly 180 Israeli firms are operating in Turkey. We do not
have any discriminative approach against our businessmen of Jewish
descent. We are the heir of the Ottoman Empire from which 48 separate
states emerged. All those people of different faiths and ethnic root
had lived together in peace in Anatolia for centuries," he stressed.

Upon a question on the draft resolution on so-called Armenian genocide,
which was submitted to the US House of Representatives a while ago,
Tuzmen said, "the most influential lobby in the United States is the
Jewish lobby. They told us that they would do everything in their
power to prevent adoption of that bill."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress