Turkey on Wednesday renewed its demands from Israel for an apology and compensation for victims’ families following the Freedom Flotilla attack. Arshad Hermzlo, senior adviser to Turkey's president, spoke on Turkey’s behalf.
In a press statement following his meeting with Secretary General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa, Hermzlo said, "We are waiting for compensation and an apology from Israel for its attack on the Freedom Flotilla that occurred in international waters.”
Israeli naval forces attacked the Turkish vessels late May of this year. The attacks, which targeted boats carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, left nine dead and dozens wounded. Hermzlo added that the assistance Turkey provided to Israel in extinguishing its fires in Mount Caramel were of "purely humanitarian" nature and did not signal the return of strategic relations between the two countries.
Hermzlo added that Turkey does not hesitate to lend a helping hand to all humanitarian causes, noting that his country provided assistance to Haiti when it was hit by an earthquake, as well as to Afghanistan and Albania. He also emphasized that Turkey supports all Arab causes, and in particular the Palestinian cause, saying that Turkey considered it a key issue in which many of the region’s problems are rooted.
"We hope the Palestinians are given the right to establish an independent state within 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. We look forward to the day when the Palestinian State attains international recognition so the Palestinians can enjoy security and safety," he said, hinting that Turkey may support Palestinian bids to declare a Palestinian state unilaterally.
The meeting between Moussa, Hermzlo and economic adviser Ahmed Artok on Wednesday focused on the latest developments in the region and on prospects for the development of Arab – Turkish relations.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
