Putin condemns Israeli raid on Gaza ship
At news conference with Turkish counterpart, Russian PM says deadly incident which took place in international waters 'unacceptable'
Russia's prime minister has condemned Israel's deadly raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in a major victory for Turkey.
Turkey, which is hosting a 22-nation security summit, is seeking international condemnation for the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists.
Israel says its soldiers began shooting only after a mob of activists attacked them.
Putin and Erdogan (Photo: AFP)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday "we condemn this act," and expressed concern that it was conducted in international waters. He was speaking at a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Such actions against a civilian ship are unacceptable," Putin said after the meeting. "These actions in international waters are especially concerning, and undoubtedly require a thorough investigation.
A Turkish government official said Israel was trying to block an attempt by Turkey to insert a strong condemnation of Israel into a joint summit statement.
Ynet contributed to this report
