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Turkish FM cancels Munich conference appearance due to Israeli participation

Xinhua, February 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavusoglu has canceled his participation at Munich Security Conference because an Israeli representative was subsequently invited at the session, local Today's Zaman newspaper reported on Friday.

"I was planning to join the conference but I changed my decision because of invitation delivered to Israeli representative to the Middle East session," Cavusoglu told reporters in Berlin.

The minister stressed Turkey's relations with Germany were not limited with the Munich Conference and his decision of not attending at the conference is "not an issue concerning bilateral relations," adding that "this move is not against Germany."

Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu will attend the conference, the state-run Anatolia News Agency quoted a Turkish official as saying.

Name of Israeli Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz was included subsequently to the list of participants, according to the Turkish official who asked not to be named.

Turkey severed diplomatic and security ties with Israel after eight Turks and a Turkish American aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were killed in May 2010 during a violent confrontation with Israeli commandos.

Ties between two countries have worsened since then as both sides have withdrawn their ambassadors.

Turkey has demanded official apology and compensation to families of the victims and lifting of the Gaza blockade as the preconditions of rapprochement with Israel.

Several attempts for normalization of ties between Turkey and Israel have failed, including the one initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama in early 2012 that led an Israeli apology to Turkey for Mavi Marmara raid.

Turkey and Israel have agreed on the principles of how to compensate the victims of Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, but they could not reach a final agreement due to Israeli attacks at Gaza Strip. Endit