BICOM

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that an agreement to normalise relations with Israel will soon be concluded.

In 2010, the previously warm relationship between Israel and Turkey deteriorated and diplomatic relations were ceded after the deaths of nine Turkish citizens. They were killed whilst trying to prevent Israeli commandos taking over a Gaza-bound protest ship, the Mavi Marmara. Last year, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paved the way for reconciliation by issuing an apology at the behest of US President Obama. It was widely reported in February that a senior Turkish delegation visited Israel and had made significant progress in agreeing a compensation deal for the families of those killed aboard the Mavi Marmara, paving the way for a rapprochement. In recent weeks, both Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu have predicted that an agreement would soon be finalised.

Until now, Prime Minister Erdogan had quelled such prospects, in particular by saying that any agreement would require “lifting of the siege on Gaza.” However, in an interview this week with PBS’ Charlie Rose, Erdogan said that, “We have come to an agreement” over a compensation package and that the “other step of the negotiations” involved arrangements for Palestinian aid to be delivered through Turkey. Erdogan predicted, “With the completion of that phase we can move towards a process of normalisation … I think we’re talking about days, weeks,” specifying that the first stage of such a process would be an exchange of ambassadors.

Israeli officials have remained quiet on the negotiations with Turkey. However, Army Radio yesterday quoted unnamed sources who said that a deal with Ankara was close, with a compensation package agreed of around £12 million. However, the same source said that Israel requires guarantees from Turkey that the agreement would spell an end to any legal action against Israel in Turkey over the Mavi Marmara incident.