Finland calls on Israel to mend ties with Turkey

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb Monday called on Israel to repair ties with Turkey as a key component of the long-stalled Middle East peace process. Stubb urged Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is in Brussels to meet with European Union officials, to discuss EU-Israel relations and to repair weakened ties with Turkey, hailing Turkey and Israel making up a "key relationship" in the region. "I urged Israel to get along with Turkey, I think that's probably the key relationship we have right now in the Middle East peace process," Stubb told reporters following his talks with Lieberman, who also attended the EU-Israel Association Council to discuss EU-Israeli ties. Turkey pegs reconciliation with Israel to the Jewish state's apology for its lethal storming last May of the Mavi Marmara, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The raid left nine Turkish citizens dead. Investigations of the raid in several international platforms, along with the International Criminal Court, continue.