Israeli premier asks Turkey to repair diplomatic relations

Jun 21, 2011, 21:03 GMT

Jerusalem - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter last week to Turkish Prime Minister Racip Teyyep Erdogan asking to repair diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey, Israeli government officials said Tuesday.

Asked about the content of the letter published Tuesday in the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman, Israeli officials told the German Press Agency dpa that Netanyahu sent the letter after Erdogan was reelected as a prime minister in Turkey.

According to the sources, the Israeli premier expressed his willingness to restart relations with Turkey after congratulating Erdogan for his victory in the elections.

'My government will be happy to work with the new Turkish government on finding a resolution to all outstanding issues between our countries, in the hope of re-establishing our cooperation and renewing the spirit of friendship, which has characterized the relations between our peoples for many generations,' Netanyahu said in the letter, according to the Turkish newspaper.

Israel and Turkey have tense diplomatic relations since the bloody boarding of the 'Freedom flotilla' in May 2010, when Israeli forces killed nine activists, all of Turkish origin.

The Israeli officials were not able to confirm any further steps that the Israeli or the Turkish governments plan to take in order to restore their relations.

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