Turkey retracts veto on NATO cooperation with Israel
Ankara stresses it will still reserve the right to ban joint military maneuvers
Adiv Sterman is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Turkey announced Sunday that it has retracted its sweeping veto on military cooperation between Israel and NATO, instated after the Mavi Marmara takeover in 2010.
According to the Turkish news paper Hurriyet, the motion to lift the Turkish ban was proposed by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who stated that the veto had “created a lack of confidence among the partners.”
The decision to renew ties with Israel came after NATO agreed to deploy Patriot anti-aircraft missiles along the Turkish border with Syria earlier this month.
Turkey stressed it will still reserve its right to pose a ban on joint military exercises between NATO members and Israel, as well as prohibit Israeli activities on its soil.
Israeli-Turkish diplomatic relations declined sharply following the Israeli Navy’s raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, in May 2010. Nine Turkish citizens were killed in clashes with soldiers aboard the blockade-busting ship.
