Toronto, June 28 (IANS/AKI) Turkey closed its airspace to several Israeli military flights following the deadly raid on a humanitarian aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip in May.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters here that the ban was imposed after the May 31 raid on a Turkish ship in which nine activists were killed.
The ship was part of a six-vessel aid flotilla carrying food, medicine and other items to Gaza.
The prime minister, who is in Canada at the summit of the Group of 20 major industrial and developing nations, did not provide any more details.
A Turkish government official said, however, that the ban was for Israeli military flights and that commercial flights were not affected.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with government rules which bar officials from speaking to journalists without prior authorisation.
Israel’s Yediot Ahronot newspaper reported Sunday that Turkey had not allowed a plane carrying Israeli military officers to fly over Turkish airspace.
Israeli officials said the flight in question was carrying officers to Poland for a tour of Auschwitz.
Military planes are required to obtain overflight permission before each flight.
–IANS/AKI
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