No change in Turkish-Israeli ties: Foreign Ministry

Reports appearing in the foreign media that Turkey had reviewed its relations with Israel and had decided to cancel its defence industry projects with Israel were inaccurate, according to Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Namik Tan.
“There is no change in the structure and content of the bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel,” he said at a press briefing Monday.
Turkish-Israeli relations were continuing to serve the interests of both countries and to contribute to efforts to provide peace in the region, Tan said.
The defence contracts mentioned in media reports were still valid, he said, adding that the government’s assessments of tenders in which many countries are interested should not be connected with these projects.
As evidence of the ongoing relationship, Tan said that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül held a beneficial meeting with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom during the mid-term Ministerial Meeting of Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Ministers in Irish capital Dublin in early May.