Turkish Ambassador to Israel Namik Tan emphasized the importance of his country's ties to Israel on Thursday, calling the countries' relationship “of regional and global importance.” The ties are “strategic,” he said, speaking at an event at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies.
Tan described Turkish-Israeli ties as “of utmost importance to Turkey.” The strategic nature of Turkey's ties with Israel makes the relationship stable, he said.
Turkey is equally able to work with outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu, Tan added. Last month, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed concern over the outcome of Israel's elections, saying the results “paint a dark picture.”
Major-General Amos Gilad spoke at the event as well, and praised Turkey as “cultured” and “democratic.”
The speeches followed efforts to reconcile after tensions flared during Operation Cast Lead earlier in the year. Erdogan called the operation, which targeted Hamas and other rocket-firing terrorist groups, “a crime against humanity.”
President Shimon Peres attempted to repair the relationship at the World Economic Forum in Davos, but the effort failed as Erdogan stormed angrily out of the conference after debating Peres onstage.