LEADING NEWS SOURCE FOR TURKEY AND THE REGION
Login | Become a member | I forgot my password

INTERNATIONAL > Turkey lifts NATO veto over Israel

ANKARA

Send to friend »
A US marine is seen at a joint drill with Israeli and Turkish navy in 1998.

A US marine is seen at a joint drill with Israeli and Turkish navy in 1998.

Turkey partially lifted its veto on Israel’s participation in NATO partnership programs, in response to some NATO members’ lifting of vetoes on partnership activities with Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and countries in the Balkans and Caucasus, diplomatic sources have said.

Despite their unresolved disputes, Turkey lifted its blockade on Israel’s participation in non-military NATO activities in 2013, such as meetings and workshops. The reconciliation was initiated by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers two weeks ago in Brussels.

No encounter

However, Turkey stressed that Turkish and Israeli soldiers would never encounter each other during any NATO activities.

As retaliation against Turkey’s veto of Israel in cooperation mechanisms within NATO, some members of the Alliance excluded other partnership countries from similar mechanisms in 2012. Turkey vetoed Israeli participation in joint air drills in Konya last year, as well as Israel’s participation in a May 2012 NATO summit held in Chicago.

Turkey says unless Israel issues a formal apology for the killing of nine Turks in a raid on the Mavi Marmara ship in 2012, pays compensation to the families of the victims and lifts a blockade on the Gaza Strip, Ankara will continue to block Israel’s participation in any NATO activity.

December/24/2012

PRINTER FRIENDLY
Send to friend »

READER COMMENTS

Click for Hürriyet Daily News comment guidelines

T.C

12/25/2012 12:14:55 PM

Nikos T: 'Think tanks'? Turkey has plans too. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO, after U.S. They have been a loyal, dependable partner. If you think Turkey did nothing during WWII, your wrong again. The role Turkey played in saving over 40,000 Jewish lives before, during, and for years after WWII, is often over looked. Turkey did significantly more than the US and the UK in saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Read 'Shoah: Turkey, the US and the UK' by Arnold Reisman.

Murat

12/24/2012 8:44:15 PM

Israel, a terrorist state, has brought nothing but misery and difficulties to any party associated with it. It is not enough that they have dragged USA down a deep hole internationally and cost countless American lives, they would now like NATO to also participate and backup their genocidal and expansionist policies. Turks have stopped Russians from invading West for centuries, what has Israel done? What a joke these people are.

gercek sesi

12/24/2012 7:23:38 PM

@nikos t Turkey only got in because of greece, turkey is far more important, productive stronger member of nato unlike greece which is the laughing stock of europe!!! you really need to respect this site more it is not for your anti-turkish views, you clearly are jealous of the greatness of turkey, everyone wants countries that are up and coming and dynamic unlike bankrupt greece!!

Rimon Tree

12/24/2012 7:23:35 PM

@ Chris on that example you can see how much all the hardliners here like Dogan & Company (f.i.Rashid=racist pariah entity (israel) brings nothing but misery and slaughter to all around and beyond" how ridiculoous looking around); ,are chewing on ignorant and ideologically influenced commonplaces. But you cannaot change that fact by real facts or pleas to be less biased, as someone said recently: You can take the horse to the water-place, but you cannot force them to drink.

Morse Fan

12/24/2012 7:16:01 PM

Good call, DutchTurk. I thought a MM apology was likely after Lieberman left, but it didn't occur to me in this context until you said it. PM Netanyahu's wanted to do it for a while. I suspect him of wanting to rev up negotiations with the Palestinians, perhaps even formalize them. Some sort of rapproachement with Turkey is borderline essential for that. How can NATO provide defense for Palestine - clearly desirable - without Israeli involvement? Standing on ceremony is very unproductive.

constantinos kio

12/24/2012 6:58:03 PM

@dogan . unforunatelly persians and more arabs wasnt and never will be turkeys friends .

Ken Alden

12/24/2012 6:00:13 PM

@Blue B. Ever since the Turkish war of Indepence, Soviet Union's was to get Turkey under it's influence or see a Independent Turkey, to act as a barrier between French, thru Armenian Proxy and Britain thru Greek Proxy, away from it's Southern Border,i.e. Caucasus. To that end Lenin lended Turkey Gold also furnished Arms. That policy was based on their experience with US & British forces reluctand to leave Archangels and French forces in the Far East. Turkey re-paid every last Rubbel of that Loan

Nikos T.

12/24/2012 5:16:28 PM

@Blue Beyond, well said. NATO is a union that came up from the countries that fought in WW2 (when Turkey did nothing but PR with Adolf). There's nothing in common between NATO allies and Turkey. Turkey got in because Greece did. Nevertheless Turkey is the less Islamic country (till now) so it's better to have her on your border than Iran. Think tanks insist that NATO will continue using Turkey until the project "ME new map" is completed (Turkey is a part of it). Israel & Cyprus are next members.

Tony Aydinli

12/24/2012 5:16:13 PM

To, Blue Beyond It's people like you with will always be in the way of progress.... Think about what youa are saying both Turkey and Israel needed to solve middle east issues..By the way did you know that Turkey has been a nato member olver 50 years.Russia eat Turkey up??????

Chris Tahos

12/24/2012 4:38:15 PM

@ dogan kemal ileri. Israel was founded after WW2, not after WW1. By that time there was not Ottoman Empire left,but Turkish Republic. which did not interfere in that war.You have to read history again.
< >

WRITE COMMENT

MOST POPULAR

AcerPro S.I.P.A HTML & CSS Agency