Brussels, 25/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The EU “very much” welcomes the fact that Israel has apologised for the death of nine Turkish citizens during the attack against the “Flotilla for Gaza” in May 2010, and it welcomes the fact that Turkey has accepted the apology. “We encourage swift concrete steps to cement these improved ties”, said the spokesperson to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. Underlining that “Turkey and Israel are both important partners of the EU”, he said that “their improved relations are in the interest of all those who want to see peace and security in the Middle East”.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on 22 March to apologise for the death of these people, which led to a falling-out between the two countries. Netanyahu said that the tragic outcome of the operation was not intentional. Erdogan accepted his apology. This should allow a new exchange of ambassadors and Ankara is due to abandon the court case it filed against the Israeli military.