Unal dismisses Israeli call for talks on Syria

Touching on the latest statements made on Turkish-Israeli relations by political director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Pinhas Avivi, Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said Israel should speak through deeds rather than messages conveyed through the media. "Everybody knows how Turkish-Israeli relations ended up in their current state," Unal said, referring to a May 31, 2010 raid by Israeli commandos of an aid ship resulting in deaths of nine people, including eight Turks and one Turkish-American. "There is no change on Turkey's stance in the sense of Israel relations. Instead of trying to present statements via media, Israeli officials should take steps to normalize relations with Turkey," Unal said.