Senior Turkish diplomats in Washington reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to maintaining friendly ties with Israel despite ongoing tension from the Gaza flotilla incident on May 31 that left nine activists dead, Turkish daily "Daily Zaman" reports.
"Daily Zaman" said that Washington-based Turkish diplomatic sources discussed the content of talks held by a Turkish Foreign Ministry delegation led by Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu with several senior US officials from the departments of state, defense, and commerce.
The "Mavi Marmara" incident was an experience between “two friends,” Anatolia News Agency quoted the diplomatic sources as saying, while explaining what Turkish officials told US officials regarding the tension between Turkey and Israel. The sources added that this was the first time that Israel had experienced such an incident with a country it had friendly relations with, which was why the impact of the "Mavi Marmara" incident was all the more shocking.
The Turkish delegation told US administration that Turkey's reaction to Israel’s raid on the flotilla has nothing to do with Turkey’s relations with the Israeli state or with the Jewish people, but is an issue with the Israeli government. They also said that a recovery in Turkish-Israeli relations will be in everyone’s interests, including those of the US.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 26, 2010
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