“Full Transcript: Kerry calls Erodgan remark “objectionable”.

“Full Transcript: Kerry calls Erodgan remark “objectionable”.HT: UNWatch.

The full transcript can be read here.

The highlights are below:

KERRY:

The President and the Prime Minister of Turkey, they both enjoy very close relations with President Obama. In terms of our mutual relations, when President Obama took over the office for the first time in the year 2009, can be explained best in his words — we have a strategic partnership that we enjoy at the utmost extent possible. Mr. Obama happens to be one of the leaders that has the closest contacts with His Excellency the Prime Minister of Turkey on a global scale. Mutually, we understand each other almost perfectly.

The United States stands strongly with Turkey, our NATO ally, in the fight against terrorism in all of its forms — al-Qaida, the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party Front, the PKK, and many others.And I want to thank the Minister and your country for your help in bringing the perpetrators of last month’s terrible attack to justice, and for being such a strong partner in fighting terrorism worldwide.Hmmmm.....I guess Kerry never got the memo stating that Turkey Released Osama Bin Laden's brother in law against the US Wishes. DAVUTOGLU (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Thank you. Thank you, John.

MODERATOR (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Due to time constraints, we will only have room for two questions.

VICTORIA NULAND: Let’s start with Matt Lee from AP, please.

QUESTION: Good afternoon, Mr. Foreign Minister. Over the past several years, but more increasingly in recent months, very senior Turkish officials, including yourself, have made what have been seen as increasingly hostile remarks about the State of Israel, about Zionism, and about the people of Israel. This includes not just the comments made by the Prime Minister this week, but also calling Israel a terrorist state and saying — questioning whether its existence is actually necessary. So I’m wondering, what does Turkey hope to achieve by making these comments? Are they the kinds of comments that befit a nation that says that it is committed to peace?

And then, Mr. Secretary, in addition to wondering what you told the Foreign Minister and will tell the Prime Minister tonight about the Prime Minister’s comments, I’m wondering if you can listen closely to the Foreign Minister’s response to my question and tell me, tell all of us, what you think of that — of his response. 

NULAND: Matt.

QUESTION: … I’m wondering if you can say something about the effect the sequester will have on your employees and perhaps talk a little bit about what you expect to achieve in Egypt tomorrow. Thank you very much.

KERRY: Minister?

(LAUGHTER)

I think the question went to you first.

DAVUTOGLU (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): OK. The question you addressed to me will have a very clear answer, and I would like to shed a light on our path. You’ve used the word hostile remarks.

Let me once again accentuate this one fact in the presence of the international community and the Turkish community — we have never been hostile against a nation, against a state, against an individual. However, if we need to speak about a very hostile practice, I would refer you to the killing of nine civilians on open waters — they have not violated any international right whatsoever. Despite that fact, they have been killed, and this is a hostile attitude vis-a-vis Israel.

The Turkish friendship is very valuable, but the reactions of the Turkish citizens towards hostility towards its own people will be quite valuable and will be quite strong as well. If you look back in time, you will see clearly that in terms of the Jewish people, we’ve always been very closely interested in their problems. We have been fighting against anti-Semitism, and history is a witness to that.

Today, we are fighting against anti-Semitism with the loudest words, loudest voice possible. We are combating against racism in all forms and shapes, and that attitude will sustain.
If Israel is expected to hear positive comments from Turkey, I believe they need to revise their attitudes not only towards us but also towards the settlements in West Bank and the people of the region. Never forget that until the Gaza attacks and the Mavi Marmara raid — the flotilla raid — the Israel in higher echelons were accommodated, were hosted in the best fashion possible. And we’ve tried relentlessly in order to provide a helping hand to the solution of the problem between Israel and Palestine, whether it be myself, whether it be the Prime Minister of Turkey.

Mr. Kerry and Mr. Obama, they have always contributed to the prospective solutions of the problems, and Turkey has always defended the very rightful and just solution between the two states based on the 1967 Agreement and borders that were recognized back then. So the two-state solution was always supported by Turkey. But if a country violates openly and clearly the right to live of our own people, we will always preserve the right to come up with statements, come up with remarks.

This is not an attitude towards a country. This is not an attitude towards a community. We are just reacting towards a hostile conduct. We are always ready to commit our full efforts to make sure that peace will prevail in the Middle East, and along with these really higher echelons within the state, we have worked closely in order to find a prospective solution to the problems therein.

I’ve quite recently shared with Mr. Kerry that we would do anything we can, within our capabilities, in order to make sure that the two-state peaceful solution can be established in that geography, and we shall always remain committed to provide any support whatsoever.

Thank you.

KERRY: Well, you asked me what my reaction is to the comments of the Foreign Minister, and they are this: that it underscores the importance of our efforts to try to find a way forward to make peace in this region and to resolve the kinds of differences that excite the passions that the Foreign Minister has just articulated, and the differences of opinions about words and about their impact. And I think that the Foreign Minister and I had a very direct and very honest conversation about this.

I have been working on this issue that he was just referring to for almost two years. I believe there is a way forward, but it obviously gets more complicated in the aftermath of a speech such as that that we heard in Vienna, about which your question and these issues are sort of rekindled.
I raised that speech very directly with the Prime — with the Foreign Minister, and I will also raise it very directly with the Prime Minister. And I think it’s very clear from statements made where we are and what we believe about that. The White House spoke, and I think they spoke very clearly. And obviously, we not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable.Read the full transcript here.