Arinc and Davutoglu attend training meeting of AKP

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended a training meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and visited the Kazakh Turks’ Social Solidarity and Cultural Association in Salihli town of the western province of Manisa on Sunday. Speaking at the training meeting, Davutoglu said that Turkey has been going through a period of "cell renewal," as a result of which no major international issue can be discussed without taking Turkey into consideration. Commenting on a recent Israeli apology to Turkey for a deadly raid on the Mavi Marmara aid ship in 2010 which resulted in deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish-American, Davutoglu said that the amount of compensation Israel is now expected to pay families of the victims was not a real issue for Ankara, as the apology was significant because "Israel was made to pay a price" for its action. Touching on Turkey’s EU membership bid, Davutoglu said that the EU membership remained a strategic goal, but suggested that Turkey could abandon this goal if the EU refuses to unblock its path for entry.