Turkey hasn’t agreed yet on Mavi Marmara compensation with Israel

ANKARA

Daily News Photo, Emrah Gürel

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said Aug. 26 they haven’t agreed yet on the amount of compensation with Israel for victims of a deadly raid in 2010 on a Gaza-bound flotilla.

Israel formally apologized to Turkey in March over the killing of nine Turkish citizens on board the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara vessel. It also agreed to redress the damages and loss of life and promised to lift an embargo imposed on the Gaza Strip.

“We haven’t agreed yet over the compensation. We haven’t lost contact with Israel but I want this issue to be concluded. Thus diplomatic relations will normalize. The process continues,” Arınç said in a televised interview.

Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel right after the attack, but in September 2011, it downgraded diplomatic ties with Israel to the lowest level of second secretary and put on hold all military contracts and ties with the state.