Bozdag, Atalay welcomes Israel's apology

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag welcomed the apology made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Turkey for a 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla which ended with eight Turks and an American of Turkish origin dead. Stating that Turkey's demands have been met with an apology, Bozdag said that this move would constitute substantial steps aimed at improving the relations between Turkey and Israel. For his part, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said that Turkey's principled approach and consistent international policy have created an impact on Israel's apology. Atalay also thanked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his team, as well as US President Barack Obama and all of the related officials about the issue.