Israeli aid sent to Turkey in the wake of a massive earthquake that struck the country will not alleviate tense ties between the two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu indicated on Thursday.
After initially refusing offers of assistance from Israeli officials several times, Turkey finally accepted Israeli aid on Tuesday with the following proviso:
“We have no prejudice against any country, but just because Israel is helping us does not mean that we will give up on our principled position against the country. Relations will only improve when Jerusalem will respond to the Turkish government’s requests(to apologise for the raid on the Turkish ‘aid’ flotilla.)” Davutoglu said.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak then ordered a special aid delegation to be sent to Turkey.
Picture: Israeli aid arrives in Ankara