Ahmet Davutoglu. Photo: Wiki Commons

Israel’s recent apology to Turkey for “operational errors” during a 2010 raid on a flotilla off the coast of Gaza which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish nationals was not related to Turkey’s policy with regard to Syria or Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a TV station in his country on Friday. He said that diplomatic pressure forced Israel to offer up the mea culpa. “We had to make sure that Israel felt the pressure,” Davutoglu stated, according to the Israeli daily Maariv.

Last week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a main motivating factor behind his apology was mutual concerns the two countries shared over Syria and Iran. “The fact that the crisis in Syria is escalating from moment to moment was a major consideration for me,” he said.

“It is important that Turkey and Israel, which share borders with Syria, be able to communicate with each other,” he added.