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Israel cancels military contract with Turkey

December 29, 2011 12:40

By

Jennifer Lipman,

Jennifer Lipman

1 min read

The increasingly fragile relationship between Israel and Turkey showed no sign of improvement this week after the Israeli government cancelled a military contract worth more than £90 million.

The government had been due to supply Turkey with an aerial intelligence system in a deal agreed two years ago. But, according to an official speaking anonymously, concerns about Turkey's shifting allegiances in the Middle East prompted Israel to pull out.

The Ministry of Defence said that all decisions about contracts were taken "in accordance with the specific diplomatic and security considerations".

However, the ministry stressed that the decision was taken with regard to the specific technology and was nothing to do with the overall relationship between the two countries.