Former U.S. president Bill Clinton said on Saturday that the Middle East needed Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported.
Clinton met Turkey's President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul, and said the Middle East needed Turkey yesterday, it was needing Turkey today, and would need Turkey in the future.
Turkey was undertaking great responsibilities, Clinton said.
Clinton said solution of the Middle East problem would relieve the entire world, and underlined the important role Turkey assumed in the Middle East.
Also touching on the developments in the Balkans, Clinton eulogized President Gul's meeting different religious leaders during his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Clinton said Turkey was a source of inspiration for the countries in its geography, and appreciated Turkey's efforts for democracy and freedoms.
Also speaking in the meeting, Gul said Israeli-Palestinian dispute concerned the entire world, and the failure in the settlement of the issue was affecting the entire world.
Gul also said this problem had an important role in the general atmosphere of peace in the world.
Clinton is visiting Turkey to attend a conference at Istanbul's Bilgi University.