Turkey, Israel may strike deal on June 26

Strained relations between once close allies Turkey and Israel may be nearing recovery, with both parties agreeing to conclude a deal on Sunday, Hurriyet Daily News quoted sources as saying on Tuesday. 

Delegations from both sides, headed by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu and the Israeli prime minister’s special envoy, Joseph Ciechanover, will meet on Sunday to declare that they have reached a deal to end the six-year-long conflict, according to high-level sources speaking on condition of anonymity. 

The relationship between Turkey and Israel was severely strained after the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara vessel was raided by Israeli commandos in 2010, killing nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American citizen on board.

Sources said that after the declaration on June 26, the agreement would be finalized and signed in July by the Foreign Ministry undersecretaries of both countries. 

With the reciprocal reappointment of ambassadors, diplomatic relations are expected to be normalized by the end of July. 

If all this passes without a hitch, both countries’ reservations regarding each other in international agreements will also be lifted. As a result, the last obstacles to joint military exercises, joint energy investments, and joint defense investments will also be removed.

Source : MENA