Turkey confirms secret talks with Israel

Turkey on Wednesday confirmed the reports that it was holding talks with Israel over a deal to reconcile the two former allies following a deadly raid on an aid vessel bound for Gaza.

Confirming the report, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said it was quite normal for the two sides to talk for the normalization of the ties.

" How can reconciliation be achieved without holding any meetings?" Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.

Cavusoglu's comments came a day after Israel's Haaretz daily reported that Israeli and Turkish officials had held secret talks in Rome on Monday in a bid to restore relations between the two sides.

Cavusoglu confirmed such a contact had been made and said: "These meetings are not new. Expert-level talks have been held between the two countries for a while."