Israel, Turkey ministers overcome diplomatic row
Defense minister, Turkish counterpart Gonul tell reporters in Ankara they are working to boost relations, advance joint security projects. Barak: We apologized for humiliation of Turkish envoy
The defense ministers of Israel and Turkey have indicated that they have overcome the diplomatic row between their countries and are working for better relations and to further military projects.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the latest diplomatic rift has been "put behind" them. Barak spoke Sunday during a joint news conference in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul, who called Israel a "neighbor," and a "strategic ally."
Barak said the humiliation of the Turkish ambassador to Israel that sparked the crisis on Monday was "a mistake", adding, "Israel has apologized. I met Ambassador (Oguz) Celikkol here in Ankara and clarified this to him."
During the press conference the two announced a series of joint security projects.
"As long as we have the same interests, we work together, to fix the common problems. Also we are allies, we are strategic allies as long as our interests force us to do so," said Gonul.
Barak noted that Turkey was the most significant country in the region and said, "We must put recent tensions behind us, and go forward to a stable Middle East together with Turkey and other states of the region."
The quarrel was the latest in a series of disputes between allies who had built strong military and economic ties over the past 15 years.
The visit was scheduled before the row, but is being closely watched for efforts to control the damage to the relationship that has also been hurt by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's frequent outbursts of fury over what he considers Israel's aggressive treatment of Palestinians.
Hours before Barak's departure, Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon said the Turkish ambassador could be expelled if Turkish TV dramas continue to depict Israeli security forces as brutal. Ayalon had called in the ambassador to reprimand him over a TV program that showed Israeli agents kidnapping children and shooting old men. It was the second such program to be aired on Turkish television in recent months.
Turkish newspapers reacted harshly to Ayalon's latest comment. "Ayalon is talking nonsense again," the daily Milliyet and Yeni Safak newspapers said Sunday. The daily Radikal said in a banner headline: "Second episode in diplomatic shame."
In Israel on Sunday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the way Ayalon handled the protest, but defended its substance.
"We don't seek conflicts, but we will stand our ground," Lieberman said at a Jerusalem news conference.
In a goodwill gesture, Barak asked his personal photographer to take a picture of him with Celikkol, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. Celikkol had returned to Ankara for Barak's visit.
Barak and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a 3 1/2-hour meeting, which an Israeli official said was conducted in a "very friendly atmosphere." The Israeli official, traveling with Barak, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
