Tensions in the Turkey- Israel relations will not affect the deep Jewish-Turkish friendship, National Director of the giant U.S. organization Anti–Defamation League, Abraham Foxman said, CNN Turk reported.
“This is an old and strong friendship and therefore new problems [between Turkey and Israel] cannot affect it,” Foxman said at the meeting on the relations of the Turkish and Jewish communities.
Tensions between the two strategic partners arose after Ankara’s refusal to participate in joint military trainings with Israel on the backdrop of Turkey’s rapprochement with Syria and Iran.
“If Turkey wants to be close to the Arab and Middle Eastern countries – there is no problem. But why should it be to the prejudice of the Turkish-Jewish friendship,” Foxman said. “I hope these tensions will be temporary in nature.”
Regarding the 1915 “Armenian genocide”, Foxman said the Anti-Defamation League’s position on this issue remains unchanged.
According to Foxman, the problem of the “Armenian genocide” should be solved between Turkey and Armenia, but not in the U.S. Congress or in the French Parliament.
The draft resolution urging the Obama administration to recognize the so-called 1915 “Armenian genocide” at the Ottoman Empire was submitted to the Senate of the U.S. Congress on Oct.28. Senators Robert Menendez (Democrat from New Jersey) and John Ensign (Republican, Nevada) are the authors of the resolution, ITAR-TASS said.
Source: en.trend.az, 31.10.2009