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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Turkish Amb to Israel: Iran's Regional Ambitions Must Be Contained |
| 2017-03-19 |
| Turkey shares Jerusalem’s concern about Iran’s regional ambitions and nuclear potential but differ when it comes to strategy, the country’s new ambassador to Israel, Kemal Okem, told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Iran’s “nuclear file is a concern for everyone,” said Okem, speaking briefly to the Post after delivering a wide ranging policy speech at Tel Aviv University that was followed by a question and answer session. Ankara, he said, believes the best way forward is through containment not isolation. “We have had a common border [with Iran] for hundreds of years which remains unchanged. They see us as a strategic competitor... We saw the need for engaging and containing their ambitions,” he said. With regard to Iran in Syria, he said he sees a “little bit” of progress in that Iran had assumed some kind of responsibility, while on the topic of Russia in Syria, he said to the Israelis in the room: “Good luck, you have a new neighbor.” The ambassador said the threat from terrorism and Islamic State can be found in Berlin and Istanbul and that Turkey is part of the international battle against extremism and ISIS. Both Muslims and Jews should be fighting this battle, he said. “Terrorism is a global phenomenon it is always there and it won’t go away without a global fight,” which is one of the reasons, he said, Turkey must continue its cooperation with Europe. “There are some misperceptions about Turkey’s role and policies and this should be corrected,” Okem said, explaining that his country was not shifting away form the Western World. On the issue of Gaza, he said Turkey supported its people but not Hamas. “We do not accept the linear analogy that is trying to be established that every one living in Gaza belongs to Hamas and is a terrorist. We do not accept this. We have to distinguish between people who are suffering and people who happen to be members of Hamas as a political party,” he said. It is important for Turkey, he said, that it is providing financial assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as part of its return to normalized diplomatic ties with Israel following a five-year freeze, and is thankful to Israel for the help and cooperation it has shown in helping Ankara with this mission, which includes support for an industrial park in Jenin and a hospital in Gaza. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 Turkish Amb to Israel: Iran's Regional Ambitions Must Be Contained Yes. Right after The Honor of Erdogan's Moustache is defended. |
| Posted by: gorb 2017-03-19 13:43 |
| #8 The Turks are crazy but not stupid, the Mullahs are just flat crazy. The Turks know a nuclear strike on Israel will pollute large areas of southeast Turkey with radioactive fallout...the Mullahs don't seem to give a shit if the prevailing winds blow fallout all over Jordan, Iraq and Southwestern Iran. I guess all of those genius nuke scientists in Soddy and Iran didn't study the effects of nuclear weapons quite as thoroughly as US educated physicists. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2017-03-19 11:51 |
| #7 yes the Kurds are a second reason for Turkey's interest the third reason is history - Ottoman empire occupied Iraq for three hundred years (in two separate occupations interrupted by a Mamluk occupation) and it was sometimes pretty brutal and always favored the Sunni - a fair number of Iraqis speak turkish |
| Posted by: lord garth 2017-03-19 11:44 |
| #6 Kurds also a big reason why Iran has their folks in Iraq. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2017-03-19 10:40 |
| #5 Which is one reason why Turkey has troops in Iraq That and keeping an eye on the Kurds. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2017-03-19 10:40 |
| #4 "..Iran's Regional Ambitions Must Be Contained.." Which is one reason why Turkey has troops in Iraq even though the Iraqis say it is a violation of sovereignty. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2017-03-19 09:13 |
| #3 If the Turks shade toward Israel, it is because they are very wise. Once various Jihad groups, Syria & Hezbollah exhaust themselves killing one another, they can roll them up in a mutually beneficial exercise. Iran is too far away to help and US is no longer in their corner. |
| Posted by: alpha2c 2017-03-19 03:28 |
| #2 Yep, let you & him fight: and we'll chear from sidelines - whomever is loosing. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-03-19 01:58 |
| #1 I thought the Caliphate of Sultan Erdogan bin bullshit was the future? Why doesn't HE step up? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2017-03-19 01:53 |