President Obama on Friday said the timing was right for a conversation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish Prime Minister Recip Erdogan.
“I have long said that it is in both the interests of Israel and Turkey to restore normal relations between two countries that have historically had good ties,” Obama said at a press conference in Jordan, according to a rush transcript. “It broke down several years ago as a result of the flotilla incident. For the last two years, I’ve spoken to them about why this rupture has to be mended. But they don’t have to agree on everything in order for them to come together around a whole range of common interests and common concerns. During my visit, it appeared that the timing was good for that conversation to take place. I discussed it and both agreed that the moment was right, and fortunately they were able to begin the process of rebuilding normal relations between two very important countries in the reasoning.”
According to reports, during a call Netanyahu apologized to Erdogan over the 2010 flotilla incident, where several Turkish nationals were killed. Erdogan accepted the apology. The call lasted roughly 30 minutes, and Obama joined the line for part of the conversation.
Obama added that the call was a step forward in repairing relations between the two nations.
“This is a work in progress,” Obama said. “It is just beginning. As I said, they’re going to have some significant disagreements between Turkey and Israel. Not just on the Palestinian question, but on a range of different issues. But they also have a whole range of shared interests and they both happen to be extraordinarily strong partners and friends of ours. And so it is in the interests of the United States that they begin this process of getting their relationship back in order. And I’m very glad to see that it’s happening.”
