Azernews.Az

ANKARA – Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoрlu says talks with Israel to resolve months-long tension with the country are continuing but adds that news reports suggesting that Israel has offered to pay compensation to the victims of the May flotilla incident are mere ‘speculation’, Hurriyet reported.

Turkey is continuing talks with Israel to end months-long tension, the foreign minister said Thursday, but added that reports of an Israeli proposal to pay compensation for the deaths of nine activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship were "speculative."

"The reports regarding the developments are speculative. Talks are continuing," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoрlu told reporters at a joint press conference in Ankara with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Muallem.

Israel has proposed to pay compensation for the deaths of nine activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship if Turkey assures Tel Aviv that the Israeli navy will not be held legally liable, Reuters news agency reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The Israeli Embassy in Ankara declined to comment on the news reports.

Israeli commandos raided a Gaza-bound aid ship on May 31, killing eight Turks and one American of Turkish descent. The incident brought Turkish-Israeli relations to an all-time low as Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Israel. Turkey remains insistent on its two key demands for reconciliation: an apology and compensation.