Turkey is a crucial country for Iraq

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi on Monday said that the Israeli apology to Turkey last week was the "first in history". In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency (AA), Nujaifi underlined that Israel had an aggressive attitude not only against the "Mavi Marmara" aid ship that was on its way to providing assistance to Palestinians but also all sides in the region. "Israeli apology to Turkey was a success for the Turkish and Arab worlds," Nujaifi stressed. Pointing out that Turkey did not have a (negative) attitude on Iraq's territorial integrity and the Iraqi people, Nujaifi emphasized that Turkey had good relations with all groups in Iraq, including the Shiites, Sunnis, Arabs and Kurds. "Turkey is a crucial country for Iraq. Iraq needs to review its policy of cooperation with Turkey," Nujaifi said. Nujaifi called on certain circles in Iraq to end labelling Turkey as an enemy country. Nujaifi also said that they were in constant touch with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, and Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to the Turkish people on March 22 during a phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for an Israeli raid on the "Mavi Marmara" aid ship which resulted in the killing of nine Turks in May 2010.