ANKARA (Web Desk) – Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mehmet Şimşek, expressed an interest in visiting Israel after Turkey’s parliament on Saturday morning approved a deal to normalize ties with Israel after a six-year diplomatic rift between the two regional powers, the Ynet news site reports.
“The reconciliation agreement with Israel is good for Turkey and for the entire region,” Şimşek said, according to Ynet. “I expect to visit Israel during my next round of international visits.”
In a statement, the Israeli government welcomed the Turkish parliament’s approval of the deal and said it looked forward “to the next steps of its implementation, including the return of our respective ambassadors.”
In June, Turkey and Israel signed a deal to restore their ties which hit an all-time low after the 2010 raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship that left 10 Turks dead.
The text of the agreement submitted to parliament reaffirmed that Israel will pay Turkey $20 million (17.8 million euros) in compensation within 25 days.
