Israel-Turkey compensation deal likely after polls: Deputy PM

PanARMENIAN.Net - A compensation deal with Israel over the Gaza-bound flotilla Mavi Marmara raid is likely to be signed after the March 30 local elections, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said, signaling a long-awaited thaw between the two countries, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The final reconciliation text on the financial part was delivered by Israel last month, Arınç said, adding that the Turkish government will re-evaluate and turn it into an official agreement to be approved by the two countries after the elections.

Israel apologized to Turkey on March 22, 2013, for the Mavi Marmara raid, but the normalization process could not be completed because of differences on the amount of compensation and its legal definition. The two countries’ diplomats met at least four times last year.

When the agreement is signed, relations between Israel and Turkey should be normalized at a diplomatic level with the two countries assigning ambassadors, Arınç said.

The deputy prime minister emphasized that the agreement needed to be approved by the Turkish parliament after it is signed, adding that the process to normalize relations could begin immediately after the two countries agree to a deal.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said last month Turkey and Israel were as close as they have ever been yet to ending the saga.

“The final agreement came from Israel around a month ago. But as you can see, both sides are busy. The first task after the elections will be to complete the compensation issue as a legal document. After that, the document will be sent to the parliament for approval,” Arınç said.