Epress.am News from Armenia
Turkish President Abdullah Gül has stated that he is not planning to have a bilateral meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres during his stay in New York to attend the 65th annual session of the UN General Assembly, reports Today’s Zaman.
“As a matter of fact, my program is not available anyhow,” Gül was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency when he was asked whether he would have a bilateral meeting with Peres while in New York.
“Our schedule does not permit it,” Gül briefly repeated when asked whether he chose not to attend to the activity in order avoid Peres.
Bilateral tension between Israel and Turkey peaked in the aftermath of Israel’s May 31 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that left nine activists dead. Ankara has recently made clear that relations must be normalized via a fulfillment of Turkey’s conditions on Israel before allowing any high-level visits between the two countries.
Following the May 31 incident, Israel has said the soldiers acted in self-defense after being attacked as they boarded the Mavi Marmara, one of the aid flotilla’s six vessels owned by a Turkish charity. Turkey, on the other hand, is demanding an apology from Israel and compensation for the families of the victims.
In New York, Gül reiterated Turkey’s conditions of apology and compensation, when asked whether an apology from Israel would be sufficient for Turkey for normalization of the relations.
According to international law, Israel has to both offer an apology and pay compensation, Gül said.