Summary: Turkish Consul General Fatih Yildiz provides a perspective on the values guiding Turkey’s regional and global foreign policy—a policy that during the past several years has produced a serious deterioration in that nation’s relationship with Israel. “Strengthening of our relations with Iran and Syria is being misportrayed as at the expense of Israel. Relations with Israel are very dear to us.” “We highly appreciate Turkey’s role in the region,” responded Shahar Arieli, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, while criticizing the numerous anti-Israel statements by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. “We want to improve the relationship with Turkey and bring it back to where it was.”
