Turkey Econ Min: For Now, Trade Ties With Israel Won't Change

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ISTANBUL (Dow Jones)--Turkey's economic ties with Israel won't change "for now," Turkish economy minister Zafer Caglyan said on Monday, amid a gathering diplomatic dispute between Ankara and Jerusalem.

The row saw Turkey announce Friday a suspension of all military agreements and the expulsion of Israel's ambassador.

Speaking to journalists in Ankara after the government's weekly economic policy meeting, the economics minister said: "Nothing can be more important than an attack against innocent people--but for now, there is no change in economic relations."

Caglyan added that Turkey, which has a gaping current account deficit, has a $250 million trade surplus with Israel, indicating the importance to Ankara of strong economic ties, despite the countries' deteriorating diplomatic relationship.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110905-704524.html

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1. "Blood is thicker than water" as they say but gold is definately solid

somethings can indeed be overcome, for the right price

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2. Turkey, Israel exchange tourist mistreatment charges

Maybe, maybe not. Gold is definitely thicker than blood though.

Turkey and Israel, whose bilateral relations have reached a deadlock over a UN committee report on last year's Gaza flotilla incident, on Monday both accused each other of the mistreatment of tourists by officials.

Israeli-Turkish relations, which have been worsening since last year's flotilla incident, almost collapsed after Turkey's swiftly decided to downgrade its diplomatic relations with Israel and put all military agreements on hold following the release of the UN report last week, which revealed that the UN considers the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza legal and also deems the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship to have resulted in the “unreasonable killing” of civilians.

Israel said on Monday that 40 of its citizens were briefly detained for questioning upon landing at İstanbul airport in Turkey. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told the Associated Press that the passengers were freed later Monday morning. He says he doesn't know what questions they were asked. Turkey's Foreign Ministry and Turkish Airlines (THY) said they were not aware of the incident.

Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency also reported that Turkish travelers arriving in Israel recently were harassed by security. Turkish citizen Mustafa Teke, who travelled to Israel for the nine-day-long Eid al-Fitr holiday, told Anatolia that Turkish tourists were searched several times in a special room at Ben Gurion International Airport. He said only Turkish tourists were taken to the special room and that they were humiliated. “We were exposed to a kind of mistreatment which would not even be shown to terrorists,” Teke said.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-255794-turkey-israel-exchange-tourist-mistreatment-charges.html

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3. The charges and counter charges on that are almost humorous

almost except that it is sad really

from Haaretz

Foreign Ministry officials admit: Turkey citizens routinely humiliated at Israel's airport

Foreign Ministry officials told Haaretz on Monday that over the past year, there were dozens of complaints on the part of Turkish citizens who claimed they were humiliated by Israeli security personnel at Ben-Gurion airport.

The officials also said that almost every Turkish citizen who arrives at Ben-Gurion airport undergoes a routine procedure of extensive, humiliating examinations that also include undressing to one's underwear.

"Turkish citizens are always separated from the rest of the passengers at the airport," said a Foreign Ministry official.

<snip>

"The Ben-Gurion issue is known and as much as we try to fix it, it does not help," said a Foreign Ministry official. "One time the Turks decide to treat us the same way and everyone gets all worked up."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/foreign-ministry-officials-admit-turkey-citizens-routinely-humiliated-at-israel-s-airport-1.382663

I've also read that Turkey has given Israeli diplomats till Wednesday to leave, don't know what Israel has said about Turkish diplomats in Israel though

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5. Indeed, rich irony, see the last 2 paragraphs in the excerpt below.

My goodness, unpleasant cops demanding your papers.

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6. The horror......the horror n/t

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4. Tourists feel the heat of tense Israeli-Turkish ties (also in LBN)

JERUSALEM — Israeli passengers said they were segregated and searched at Istanbul airport on Monday and Turkish tourists made similar complaints about treatment in Israel, accounts that further stoked a heated feud between the two countries

Three days after Turkey expelled Israel's ambassador over Israel's refusal to apologize for a raid that killed nine Turks on a ship trying to break its blockade of Gaza in 2010, visitors from both countries were feeling unwelcome.

Hayuta Leibovich, an Israeli who manufactures clothes in Turkey, said she and other Israelis in line at passport control at Istanbul's Ataturk airport were told by security officers to stand in a corner of the terminal.

"They gathered us in a group and asked for our passports -- not very nicely," she said. "I felt as if they put us in a ghetto."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44397908/ns/travel/#.TmThEWo1agA

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7. ISRAEL: Diplomatic dispute with Turkey lands at Istanbul airport

Israel's airport security is widely admired but its stringent passenger screening has been criticized by other countries -- and by the Israeli supreme court. On Monday, some Israelis got a glimpse of what it's like on the receiving end of a harsh security inspection when they were forced to undress by personnel at an airport in Turkey.

The incident came days after relations between Israel and Turkey reached an all-time low when Turkey announced a further downgrade of diplomatic ties, including expelling the outgoing Israeli ambassador to Turkey and suspending military and economic dealings. The Turkish moves followed Israel's rejection of a Turkish ultimatum for Israel to apologize for last year's deadly flotilla raid.

After the airport incident, Israeli officials accused Turkey of trying to lead Israel into an open confrontation.

Some saw the episode as retaliation for similar treatment of Turkish citizens by Israeli authorities the evening before. But an Israeli foreign ministry official admitted that Turkish citizens were routinely humiliated at Israel's Ben-Gurion airport.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/09/israel-new-low-in-relations-as-israelis-harrased-in-turkey-airport.html

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8. well that didn't last long: Turkey suspends all trade ties with Israel

Israel-Turkey crisis escalating: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that more sanctions against Israel could follow the expulsion of Jerusalem's ambassador and the suspension of military ties.

Erdogan said that pending the decision on such sanction, Turkey will suspend all of its trade ties with Israel: "Trade ties, military ties regarding defence industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures," Erdogan told reporter in Ankara.

Still, the exact extent of trade sanctions was unclear from Erdogan's statement. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Monday that Ankara would do nothing "for now" to change its economic relationship with Israel.

Erdogan also noted that Turkey would be stepping up its naval patrols in the Eastern Mediterranean: "The Eastern Mediterranean is not a strange place to us... our ships will be seen much more frequently in those waters."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4118496,00.html


I really was hoping the gold thing would over-ride politics

The entire situation is sad