Turkey today said that reaching a deal at upcoming talks with Israel to normalise relations downgraded after a 2010 Israeli raid on a Turkish vessel heading to Gaza depended on steps taken by the Jewish state.
"Whether a deal can be reached at the first upcoming meeting depends on the steps to be taken by Israel," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara.
He did not give the date of the meeting although press reports have said it would take place on Sunday.
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Relations between once close allies Turkey and Israel hit an all time low after Israeli commandos staged a botched pre-dawn raid on a six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Nine activists on board the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara ferry were killed, with a tenth person later dying of his wounds, sparking a bitter diplomatic crisis. All 10 were Turkish nationals.
Two of Turkey's key conditions for normalisation - an apology and compensation - were largely met, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle.
"Our conditions are not very complicated, they are plain conditions," Cavusoglu said. "They need to be fulfilled the same as our apology demand.
