U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waded into the thicket of Mideast politics Friday , chiding the Turkish prime minister for a slam on Zionism while touting the ties the United States has with Turkey and Israel -- two once friendly nations now mired in antipathy . Kerry said he and the Obama administration disagreed with Recep Tayyip Erdogan 's remark equating Zionism with crimes against humanity , and he called it `` objectionable . '' He appeared to be making a reference to the remark in his praise of Mustafa Akarsu , the Turkish guard at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara who died in a February 1 suicide attack . `` Mustafa 's tragic death reminds all of us of the common bond we share , '' Kerry told reporters in a joint news conference in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu . It `` underscores the urgent need to promote a spirit of tolerance that includes all of the public statements made by all leaders . '' Kerry said he mentioned Erdogan 's speech to the foreign minister and plans to broach it with Erdogan . `` That said , Turkey and Israel are both vital allies , '' Kerry said . `` We want to see them work together to go beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to change their relationship . I believe it 's possible . '' The remarks overshadowed the key crisis in the region : the Syrian civil war . Kerry said the United States and Turkey share opposition to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria . He said that Turkey and the United States believe in a political solution in Syria and that both countries have worked to bring about tough sanctions to reduce money flowing to the Assad government . He cited the Patriot missiles placed on Turkey 's border with Syria for security and the country 's hosting of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees . `` Minister Davutoglu and I believe there is no legitimacy in a regime that creates atrocities against its own people , '' Kerry said . Kerry attended a memorial service for the security guard killed at the embassy last month and described him as a `` courageous Turk . '' The United States , he said , `` stands strongly with Turkey , our NATO ally in the fight against terrorism . '' The embassy was attacked last month by a man Turkish authorities say belonged to the Marxist Leninist organization known as the Revolutionary People 's Liberation Party , or DHKP-C , which the U.S. government and others label a terrorist organization . As for Erdogan 's remarks , a senior State Department official earlier said the comment was `` particularly offensive '' and `` complicates our ability to do all the things we want to do together when we have such a profound disagreement about such an important thing , '' Erdogan appeared at the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations , which works to defuse tensions and promote cooperation between the Muslim and Western worlds . `` It is necessary that we must consider -- just like Zionism , or anti-Semitism , or fascism -- Islamophobia as a crime against humanity , '' the Turkish prime minister said . Zionism is the Jewish national liberation movement that led to Israel 's founding and is the nation 's underpinning . Erdogan 's remarks drew a quick rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . But many in the Muslim world harbor notions like Erdogan 's about the movement . `` This is a dark and mendacious statement , the likes of which we thought had passed from the world , '' Netanyahu said . Israel and Turkey are major U.S. allies in the Middle East . But the once extensive cooperation between Turkey and Israel on trade , tourism and military issues has broken down . Turkey , a NATO member , has been affected by one of the world 's most volatile conflicts -- the Syrian civil war -- and has been a staunch opponent of the Assad regime . Israel has been a longtime friend of the United States and is seen as a pro-U.S. bulwark in the region . The falling out between Turkey and Israel was hastened by the Israeli commando attack on a ship in a Gaza-bound flotilla three years ago . Turkey has called for an apology for the incident , which resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and one American of Turkish origin . Kerry : Diplomacy is cheaper than no diplomacy .
The U.S. secretary of state visits Kerry in Ankara , Turkey . He talks about the war in Syria and ties that Turkey and Israel share with the U.S. ` ` We want to see them working together to go beyond rhetoric , '' he says of Israel and Turkey . Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the remark at a United Nations meeting .