Israeli FM Rules Out Normalization of Relations With Current Turkish Gov't

While Turkey is ruled by the current administration led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, there is no chance of normalization of relations between the countries, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said.

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) — Normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey will not be possible until new authorities come to power in Ankara, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said Friday.

“While Turkey is ruled by the current administration led by [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and his friends, there is no chance of normalization of relations between the countries,” Liberman posted to his Facebook page, commenting on his Turkish colleague Mevlut Cavusoglu’s refusal to attend the Munich Security Conference because Israeli officials are attending the event.

Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2006 after an Israeli soldier was captured by Hamas militants. The blockade was strengthened in 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza.

In 2010, Israeli commandos staged a raid on a six-ship flotilla, allegedly trying to break a blockade of the Gaza strip by the Israeli navy. Ten Turkish nationals died as a result.

The incident severely damaged Turkish-Israeli relations, and three years later, in 2013, Turkey received an official apology from Tel-Aviv. However, Liberman claimed on Friday that the decision to apologize to Turkey was a “big mistake.”