Fatjon Prronı
26 June 2016•Update: 28 June 2016
ANTALYA, Turkey
Turkey will normalize relations with Israel if Tel Aviv compensates families of Turkish victims killed in the 2010 aid flotilla attack and lifts its embargo on Gaza, Turkish foreign minister has said.
In remarks made at an iftar fast-breaking dinner organized by the Women’s and Democracy Association in the Turkish resort city of Antalya late Sunday, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey and Israel were continuing their negotiations for normalization of bilateral ties.
But Cavusoglu made it clear that Ankara would not make any concessions to Tel Aviv on two of its conditions.
“One of these [conditions] is compensation for the families of our brothers who lost their lives and fell martyrs,” he said, while referring to the incident in 2010 when nine Turkish citizens were killed by Israeli forces in an attack on the Mavi Marmara.
“The second one is lifting of the embargo on our Palestinian brothers, who for years have been under persecution, living in difficult conditions under embargo, where infrastructure has been destroyed as a result of attacks,” he added.
Cavusoglu recalled that Turkey previously said: “We will normalize our relations if our conditions are fulfilled,” adding: “We have made no compromise on these two conditions [before] and we will not [do that now].”
The minister said that normalizing ties with Israel does not mean for Turkey “to remain silent when our Palestinian brothers are wronged.”
He vowed Turkey would continue to deliver humanitarian and development aid to Palestinian.
In 2010, six civilian ships in a humanitarian aid flotilla were attacked in international waters by Israeli forces.
The vessels had been trying to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Nine Turkish citizens were killed and 30 other people injured; one person died nearly four years later after being critically injured in the attack.
Turkey had demanded for an official apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed in the attack as well as the removal of Israel’s blockade on Gaza in the aftermath of the attack.
In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to then Turkish premier and now current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the attack, while in recent months the two countries have been engaged in talks aiming at normalizing ties.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will make a statement about reconciliation negotiations with Israel on Monday, sources at the Prime Ministry told Anadolu Agency Sunday.
According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, Yildirim is due to make a statement at 1 p.m. local time (1000 GMT) regarding the stage at which negotiations with Israel have reached.
