Turkish FM: relations with Israel could deteriorate

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced today that his country''s relations with Israel would deteriorate if it declined to apologize for the 2010 deadly attack on the freedom flotilla in which nine Turkish activists were killed The Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying: "There can be no normalization with Israel if Turkey''s demands are not met." Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently rejected any normalization with Israel unless it gives an apology over the attack of the Turkish ship which was trying, as part of an international aid flotilla, to reach Gaza in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade on the Palestinian territory. Diplomatic ties between Israel and Turkey have been in crisis since Israeli commandos staged a deadly raid on the international aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade on the Palestinian territory. Davutoglu added that "Relations will not remain as they are now, they will deteriorate even more... The current situation cannot be sustained," he said.