Turkish official lauds ties with Israel

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 13 (UPI) -- Turkish Ambassador to Israel Namik Tan says his country's ties with Israel are significantly important in both global and regional aspects.

Speaking at a Tel Aviv University conference, Tan praised Turkish-Israeli diplomatic ties for being strategic as well as stable, Hurriyet reported Friday.

"In the neighborhood we live in -- Israel could not find a better friend than Turkey," Tan said at Thursday's conference at the school's Institute for National Security Studies.

"We do not have strategic relationships with many countries, only with Israel and the United States. We share the same cultural prism," he added.

Tan's comments came despite a previous conflict between the two countries brought about in part by comments made by both Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli President Shimon Peres.

The officials' comments came as Turkey openly opposed Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip this year.

Tan said Thursday his country feels Hamas should be involved in any Palestinian talks regarding the Gaza Strip due to the organization's influence in the region, Hurriyet said