Turkey says that reaching a deal at upcoming talks with Israel to normalize relations downgraded after a 2010 Israeli raid on a Turkish vessel heading to Gaza depended on steps taken by Israel.
“Whether a deal can be reached at the first upcoming meeting depends on the steps to be taken by Israel,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells a news conference in Ankara. He did not give the date of the meeting although press reports have said it would take place on Sunday.
Already-frayed relations between once close allies Turkey and Israel hit an all-time low after Israeli commandos staged a raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Ten Turkish activists on board the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara ferry were killed in the scuffle and 10 Israeli soldiers wounded, sparking a bitter diplomatic crisis.
The Mavi Marmara is seen of the coast of Israel in May 2010. Kobi Gideon/FLASH90)
Two of Turkey’s key conditions for normalization — an apology and compensation — were largely met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle.
“Our conditions are not very complicated, they are plain conditions,” Cavusoglu said. “They need to be fulfilled the same as our apology demand.”
— AFP
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