Cultural And Economic Cooperation Between Turkey And Israel Will Increase

ADAPAZARI - Pinchas Avivi, the Israeli Ambassador to Turkey said on Wednesday he believed that the cultural and economic cooperation between Turkey and Israel would increase.
Avivi and an accompanying delegation visited the same day Sakarya acting governor Orhan Alimoglu and Adapazarı mayor Aziz Duran. Speaking during the meeting, Avivi said that Israel attached importance to improving cooperation with Turkey.
''I believe that the friendship founded with Turkey after Marmara quake will also increase cultural and economic cooperation,'' said Avivi.
Avivi and the accompanying delegation later visited Turkish-Israeli village which was founded after the Marmara quake of 1999.
Avivi met with students in Turkish-Israeli primary school and he addressed them in Turkish, saying ''We love you very much, we brought greetings from your Israeli brothers and sisters.''
Avivi said that he believed that if a similar quake happened in Israel, Turkish people would come and help Israelis. Turkey and Israel were friendly countries, said Avivi adding that they were ready to exert all efforts to assist the quake survivors living in Adapazarı.
Turfay Ozbalkan, who talked on behalf of quake survivors, said that they were grateful to the Israeli government for building prefabricated huts. He said that they wanted Israel to build 100 permanent dwellings in place of those prefabricated huts which would be removed soon. Avivi said that he couldn't give promise on behalf of the Israeli government, adding that he would convey the demand.
Responding to questions of journalists asking his views about the possibility of a recent tension between Turkey and Israel, Avivi denied that, noting that there was friendship between the two countries. All the Turkish officials who wanted to meet him talked about common projects, he said adding that there would be developments in respect of culture, industry and economy between Turkey and Israel soon. Avivi added that he would propose giving scholarship to students living in the region to study in Israel.
(ÖŞ) 12.11.2003