Istanbul: A senior Israeli government minister is due to visit Turkey this week in the first such trip since the Jewish state and Ankara normalised relations after a six-year crisis over Israel’s deadly storming of a Gaza-bound ship, an official said.
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz will attend the World Energy Congress in Istanbul on Thursday, an official from the Israeli embassy told AFP.
The official said it was “not certain” yet if the Israeli minister would meet with his Turkish counterpart, Berat Albayrak, on the sidelines of the congress.
Israel and Turkey signed a deal in June to restore ties which hit an all-time low after the 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound aid ship that killed 10 Turks.
Israel has paid Turkey $20 million (Dh73.46 million) in compensation for the deadly storming — an amount which Turkish authorities said has been transferred to the account of the justice ministry.
The Turkish government was due to pass on the money to the victims’ families who lodged cases at Turkish courts.
In addition to the compensation, Israel has also made an apology and agreed to ease the blockade on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
The blockade remains in place but Israel has allowed Turkish aid to reach Gaza through Israeli ports under the deal.
Turkey and Israel are now set to restore full diplomatic relations, including the exchange of ambassadors who were pulled out in respective capitals after the crisis.
Ankara has shown interest in energy cooperation with Israel to receive gas from its offshore natural gas fields that are currently in development.
