  Turkey, Israel restore air force coordination mechanism December 23, 2011 - 17:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey and Israel have reactivated a mechanism of coordination between their air forces months after it was severed amid political tensions over a UN panel report on a bloody Israeli raid on an aid flotilla that killed nine Turkish activists, an Israeli news report has said. The coordination mechanism is designed to prevent misunderstandings and potential clashes between Turkish and Israeli military planes over the Mediterranean Sea, but it was suspended following the UN panel's report on the May 31, 2010 raid on the aid ship Mavi Marmara in September, Jerusalem Post reported. As a senior official of the Israeli Air Force noted, this coordination mechanism was recently reactivated as part of the two countries' efforts to “stabilize and improve ties.” Two weeks ago, the Turkish military attaché to Israel attended an Israeli Air Force briefing for foreign military officers at the Ovda Air Force Base on the sidelines of the Israeli joint maneuvers with the Italian Air Force. The official also said that the Israeli Air Force would also likely invite Turkey to participate in a large-scale international aerial drill that it will be hosting in Israel in 2013. “There is nothing preventing them from participating,” the official said, according to Today's Zaman.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Macron says France commemorates 109th anniv. of Armenian genocide  Today France commemorates the 109th anniversary of the Armenian genocide of 1915, Macron says.Pashinyan: We must stop searching for homeland, we have found that homeland Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has shared a message on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. |
