Billboards in Ankara: 'Israel apologized, thank you Erdogan'

Deputy FM Arinc says Israeli apology for deadly 2010 raid on Gaza-bound ship 'a big success of Turkish foreign policy;' talks on compensation for victims' families begin
News agencies|
PrintFind an error? Report us
Related Topics
Large billboards were put up by the Ankara municipality on Monday to thank Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan following Israel's apology for the deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound ship.
"Israel apologized to Turkey. Dear prime minister, we are grateful that you let our country experience this pride," the billboards read.
Related stories:
Israel and Turkey began talks Monday on compensation for the families of victims of the raid, for which the Jewish state apologized last week, ending a near three-year diplomatic rift.
"Officials delegated by the two sides will work on the compensation issue. We gave the kickstart for it today," Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.
Ties between Israel and Turkey plummeted in May 2010 when Israeli commandos staged a pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla to the Gaza Strip, killing nine Turkish nationals.
The assault triggered an international outcry and a bitter diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel, with Ankara demanding a formal apology and compensation for the families of the victims.
1 View gallery
(צילום: EPA)
'We are grateful. Billboard in Ankara (Photo: EPA)
Until last week, Israel had refused. But on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for the raid - a breakthrough brokered by US President Barack Obama during his visit to the Jewish state.
"This is a big success of Turkish foreign policy," Arinc said.
He said that Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, "held talks with the other party and expressed the necessity to swiftly solve the issue."
In remarks over the weekend, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country's future diplomatic relationship with Israel - including the appointment of a new ambassador to Israel - would depend on the Jewish state.
AFP, Reuters contributed to the report
Comments
The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
""