Epress.am News from Armenia
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in New York on Monday discussed moves to normalize Armenia-Turkey ties, AFP reports, without, however, providing further details as to what conclusions the parties reached on this matter.
Clinton and Davutoglu met ahead of the UN General Assembly opening Wednesday. The main topic of their discussion was mounting tension between Turkey and Israel.
Clinton urged Turkey to defuse tension and repair strategic ties with Israel as Washington values them both as allies, US officials said.
Washington has expressed mounting concern about the bitter row between Turkey and Israel over a May 2010 Israeli commando raid on an aid flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip that left nine Turks dead.
Clinton “made clear that this is not a time when we need more tension, more volatility in the region,” a senior US official said on condition of anonymity.
The chief US diplomat and Davutoglu met before US President Barack Obama holds talks Tuesday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they gather for the UN General Assembly.
Israel and Turkey have been locked in a bitter dispute since May 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a convoy of six ships trying to reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade.
Earlier this month, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador and froze military ties and defense trade deals. Ties strained even further when Erdogan threatened to send warships to escort any Turkish vessels trying to reach Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The United Nations criticized Israel for using “excessive” force in the 2010 raid, but upheld Israel’s right to impose a naval blockade on Gaza. Israel has refused Turkish demands for an apology.
Apart from the Turkish-Israel dispute, Clinton and Davutoglu discussed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on popular protests, the revolution in Libya, and Somalia, officials said.
Israel is currently threatening to impose a series of measures against Turkey, one of which is recognizing the Armenian Genocide.