Israeli diplomat invited to Turkey's state reception after apology

ANKARA

The Turkish Presidency invited a senior Israeli diplomat to the Victory Day reception held on Aug. 30, in the first such invitation since the Mavi Marmara crisis of 2010. AA photo

Although relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv are still tense and give no hope of a quick normalization, the presidency invited a senior Israeli diplomat to the Victory Day reception held on Aug. 30, in the first such invitation since the Mavi Marmara crisis of 2010.

Chargé d’affairs of the Israeli Embassy in Ankara, Josef Levy Safari attended the Victory Day reception, marking his first appearance in such a state reception.

According to the sources, the invitation was made as Israel officially apologized to Turkey over the killings of nine Turkish citizens on board of the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara vessel.

Although the normalization process between the two countries could not be completed and no ambassadors have been exchanged, the Israeli issuance of an apology has been seen as sufficient for inviting the chargé d’affairs to the reception.

However, Turkey’s condition for settling the compensation with Israel – requiring Israel’s recognition that the payment to the victims of the Mavi Marmara would be made due to the Israeli state’s wrongful act – is still valid, sources stressed. Compensation talks between the two parties have been suspended due to disagreement on how the compensation would be legally formulated.