Ankara hosts fourth Turkey-Israel joint economic committee meeting

The Turkey-Israel Joint Economic Committee met in Ankara yesterday, with the Turkish side chaired by Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and the Israeli side by visiting Israeli Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer. Gonul said that Turkey places great importance on developing relations with neighboring and regional countries and in this context, Israel has a special place. For his part, Eliezer said that the economies of the two countries are complementary and that there is cooperation in various sectors. In related news, Eliezer was received by President Abdullah Gul. During the meeting, Gul said that Israel should show its willingness and sincerity to pursue peace and urged it to pull back its settlements. For his part, Eliezer said that Turkey is an important country of the region and that Turkey could again mediate Israeli peace negotiations with Syria. Eliezer also conveyed Israeli President Simon Peres' invitation to Gul.