AMBASSADOR NAMIG TAN: APPROACH TOWARDS ISRAEL IS CHANGING IN TURKEY AFTER ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE’S STATEMENT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 27 2007

"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.