On Sunday, Kerry urged Turkey to speed up an improvement in its relationship with Israel.
The remarks by the US secretary of state came as he was answering questions regarding the necessity of rapprochement between Tel Aviv and Ankara during a visit to Turkey.
Kerry also said the current unrest in Syria and Iran’s nuclear energy program are major threats to security of Washington, Tel Aviv, and Turkey in the region.
He declined to comment on a recent report by the BritishSunday Times saying Israel is discussing with Turkey the use of a base outside the Turkish capital, Ankara, to launch a possible attack against Iran.
During a trip to Tel Aviv last month, US President Barack Obama secured a pledge from Turkish and Israeli leaders to normalize relations.
Tensions increased between Ankara and Tel Aviv after a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which claimed the lives of nine Turkish activists.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a full resumption of ties with Turkey after saying that he had finally apologized for the deaths of the Turkish activists.
In a deal brokered by Obama, the Israeli premier also accepted Turkey’s demands for compensation to be paid to the families of the nine activists who were killed. However, the rapprochement has been slow in moving forward.
SZH/SS
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