Netanyahu sees economic boost from Israel-Turkey deal

Baku. 27 June. REPORT.AZ/ Israel and Turkey's agreement to normalize ties will boost the Israeli economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan cast it as a step towards improving humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Report informs citing Reuters.

The once-firm allies reached the agreement on Sunday after a six-year rift over the Israeli navy's killing of 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists who tried to sail to the blockaded Gaza Strip in 2010.

The rare rapprochement in the Middle East, bitterly divided over Syria's civil war, has been largely driven by increasing security risks with the rise of Islamic State, and as both countries seek new alliances amid a polarized region.

Speaking after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome, Netanyahu said the agreement was "an important step".

"It has also immense implications for the Israeli economy, and I use that word advisedly," he told reporters together with Kerry. Israeli officials have raised the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals once ties with Turkey were mended.

More details on the agreement are expected to be formally announced later on Monday by Netanyahu in Rome and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Ankara.

The agreement, politically touchy for both countries, could pave the way for gas deals and a diplomatic reprieve from Turkish troubles with next-door Syria and Europe.