August 5, 2011 - 11:59 AMT
Turkey opts out of joint naval exercise with Israel

Turkey has once again opted out of participating in annual joint naval exercise with Israel, in which the U.S. will also participate this week in the Mediterranean Sea.

The decision was confirmed by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hürriyet Daily News reported.

The yearly naval exercise, called the Reliant Mermaid, had been carried out for over a decade by the Turkish, Israel, and U.S. naval forces. Turkey stopped participating in 2010 after the Mavi Marmara raid. The exercise includes practicing search and rescue operations that familiarize international partners operating in the Mediterranean Sea. It is also said that Israel found a replacement for Turkey: Greece is joining the drills.