Acting Prime Minister, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said Monday Turkey has decided to cancel three military exercises with Israel due to Israel's raid on Gaza aid fleet.
Arinc said at a press conference in the Turkish capital of Ankara that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had cancelled his trip in Latin America and will arrive in Turkey around noon on Tuesday, Arinc said.
Meanwhile, Israeli ambassador in Ankara Gaby Levy was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry after Israeli navy raided a convoy of six ships carrying civilians and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
At a meeting with the Israeli ambassador, Deputy Undersecretary Unal Cevikoz conveyed Turkey's protest, saying that the attack was "totally unacceptable".
"It is against the international law to intercept ships, which sail in the international waters and carry humanitarian aid, by using force. It is impossible to accept and tolerate such an interception," Cevikoz said.
Israeli forces on Monday attacked the international convoy of aid ships when trying to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza, killing up to 20 and wounding more than 30 others, Israeli media reported.
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