Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Israel has voiced its intention to come to the negotiating table with Turkey in a bid to improve strained relations between the two countries.

"Israel is ready to negotiate with Turkey to normalize relations without any preconditions," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Turkish TV channel TRT Haber reported on Monday.

Turkey was quick to respond to the statement.

"Ankara's position on this issue is clear and unchanged," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. "Instead of telling media about the intention to normalize its relations with Turkey, Israel must take concrete actions in this direction."

Relations between Turkey and Israel, which were once two strategic and military allies, worsened after Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on May 31, 2010. Nine Turkish activists fell victim of the clash between Israeli soldiers and international human rights activists on board the Turkish ship.

Ankara demands an official apology and compensation for the families of the victims, as well as the lifting of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, in order to normalize the relations. Israel has rejected the demands, claiming its soldiers acted in self-defense. In protest to the Israeli refusal to meet Turkish demands, Ankara expelled Israel's ambassador and severed military ties with the country.

Speaking to a group of Turkish journalists on Monday, Pinhas Avivi, Israeli Foreign Ministry's political director for multilateral global and strategic affairs and former ambassador to Turkey, said Israel is seeking to hold talks with Turkey regarding the Syrian crisis, noting that the situation in Syria will have an impact on the future of both Turkey and Israel.

"We should leave aside the problems between Israel and Turkey and look to the future," he was quoted as saying by NTV television.

Avivi described the crisis between Israel and Turkey as "artificial," and said the two countries should try to resolve their problems through dialogue.

"Both countries made mistakes. But thereafter the two countries should sit at the table and strive to find solutions without preconditions and with good faith," Avivi said, according to Today's Zaman newspaper.

Avivi also signaled that an apology could be made, but only if Turkey considers the situation in Gaza as separate from Turkish-Israeli relations, adding that only then would it be easy to resolve the crisis between the two countries. The former ambassador also emphasized that relations with Turkey were of great importance to Israel.

Israel, which has followed the developments in Syria closely since the beginning of the uprising in the war-torn country, is concerned by the escalating tensions in Syria and the spillover effect onto its territory.

Avivi called on the officials of the two countries to create a mechanism for cooperation on the Syrian crisis instead of delivering harsh messages to each other through the media.

Israeli officials have complained that the bombs of Syrian forces are also landing in their territory, criticizing the international media for neglecting the threat posed by Syria to Israel. Mortar rounds fired from Syria hit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in September in a spillover from the conflict in the Arab country, according to Reuters.

"We support Turkey's stance following the Akcakale incident. We support Turkey due to the humanitarian issue, even though we have tense relations currently," an Israeli official was quoted by Today's Zaman as saying. The official added that the Syrian crisis also poses a threat to Israel.

According to Israeli reports, in recent weeks senior Israeli officials have said in meetings with foreign guests that Israel is particularly concerned about one of the three dangers posed by the Syrian crisis, which include the transfer of Syria's chemical weapons to a third party like Hezbollah and fragmentation of the country.

Meanwhile, according to Turkish reports, officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry have been instructed to avoid making statements which would heighten the tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Prior to the Mavi Marmara incident, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan walked out of a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel discussion in Davos in 2009 following a heated exchange with Israeli President Shimon Peres -- a move that is considered the starting point of tense relations between the two former allies.