Yuval Steinitz: Turkey reconciliation deal nearing completion

Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says nearly all outstanding issues for a reconciliation agreement with Turkey have been finalized by both sides.

“I’d say we’ve successfully finished dealing with 90 percent of the topics,” Steinitz says in a radio interview.

Steinitz’s remarks are the latest in a long series of iterations from both sides implying a deal was imminent to end the rift between the former allies.

Pressed by 103FM radio to say when he thought a deal might be completed, Steinitz says he hopes it will “in the coming weeks.”

“There is huge interest on both sides — a strategic interest and an energy-related and economic one,” he says.

— AFP