Turkey, "Israel" to negotiate resuming commercial flights - Report
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Turkey and the Israeli occupation are set to resume talks over civil aviation after a 15-year pause.
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Turkey and the Israeli occupation intend to start negotiations on resuming direct commercial flights of Israeli airlines (Credits: AFP)
Turkey and the Israeli occupation intend to start negotiations on resuming direct commercial flights of Israeli airlines halted in 2007 over the security checks procedure, Turkish media reported on Monday.
As part of the general normalization process initiated between Turkey and the occupation, civil aviation negotiations between the two will resume with a meeting on Monday, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported, adding that they plan to sign a new civil aviation agreement.
Under this agreement, the sides reportedly aim to increase the number and frequency of direct flights, while the most important issue will be the safety rules that the Israeli occupation requires of its airlines to resume their flights to Turkey.
Israeli occupation forces require that Israeli personnel conduct security checks at Turkish airports on flights organized by Israeli airlines. In 2007, flights were halted at "Israel's" initiative as Turkey was opposed to the idea of security personnel carrying weapons.
If a compromise is reached during the negotiations, Israeli airlines will be able to resume flights to Turkey, while direct Turkish flights to the occupied Palestinian lands never stopped, the report said.
In addition to the standard two-stage screening used at Turkish airports on flights to the occupied Palestinian lands, passengers undergo a third screening before boarding the aircraft.
The third inspection is carried out by Turkish officials. In 2009 and 2013, Turkey and "Israel" reportedly reached an agreement on civil aviation security, but the Israeli occupation did not resume flights to Turkey.
It is noteworthy that in late June, current Israeli Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid visited Turkey and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
According to Cavusoglu, the two sides have reportedly begun working on restoring ambassador-level diplomatic representation, as the two attempt to end more than a decade of a strained relationship.
In a joint news conference with Lapid, Cavusoglu said that Turkey and "Israel" are in close contact regarding "threats" to Israeli settlers in Turkey. Ankara promised that it would not allow any attacks on the latter on Turkish land.
