The Turkish media have reported that Israeli and Turkish government negotiating teams are likely to announce a reconciliation agreement between the two countries next Sunday, after a six-year dispute that began with the Mavi Marmara affair.
The "Hurriyet Daily News," a Turkish newspaper, reports that the two delegations will meet in Turkey, and are expected to release a joint statement in the coming days. According to Hurriyet, the statement will be followed by the signing of a final agreement between the two countries in July. New ambassadors will be appointed by then, and relations between the two countries are slated to return to normal.
At the same time, Israel and Turkey will withdraw their objections to partnership in international agreements, a measure that will affect joint military exercises and energy and defense investments, among other things.
The negotiations which began secretly last December, involved compensation for the families of those killed in the Israel 2010 navy's raid against the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship, and removal of the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israeli and Turkish sources have hinted n the past that a compromise agreement had been reached on the Mavi Marmara affair, but no official announcement has been issued on the matter.
Turkish reports say that Israel has agreed to approve the construction of a hospital with Turkish money, and has undertaken not to prevent the transfer of medical equipment and medical teams from Turkey. At the same time, it was reported that Turkey and Germany would jointly build a power station in Gaza, and Turkey would construct a desalinization facility. All the Turkish aid will pass through border control at Ashdod Port.
Prices of the shares of the partners in the Leviathan natural gas reservoir are going up on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE), perhaps because investors believe that a reconciliation agreement with Turkey will make it possible to export natural gas from Leviathan to Turkey.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 21, 2016
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