In his Sunday’s interview with the Hurriyet daily, U.S. President Barack Obama stressed importance of U.S.-Turkey relations.

“Our partnership is resilient, and we agreed that the irresponsible acts of WikiLeaks do not threaten it,” Huriyet Daily News& Economic Review quotes the President. According to him, relations between two states are presently more important than ever.

Speaking of controversy over Iran, the U.S. President said he is inclined to solve the problem through diplomacy. However, he stressed that Iran failed to persuade world community that its nuclear program pursues peaceful goals.

In an e-mail interview Obama also called on Turkey and Israel to ease recent tension in bilateral relations. He encouraged the two U.S. regional allies to “find an acceptable way forward”, Huriyet Daily News& Economic Review reported.

Obama reiterated Washington’s support for Turkey’s joining the EU and urged Ankara “to continue the reforms necessary to complete the membership process.”

He also welcomed Turkey’s steps aimed at loosening restrictions on teaching Kurdish and on public and private broadcasting in the language.