The Wall Street Journal
By MARC CHAMPION
ISTANBUL—Turkey's prime
minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Tuesday that his country was suspending
defense trade with Israel and that Turkish naval vessels would be seen in the
Eastern Mediterranean more often, as Ankara ratcheted up pressure in a rising
dispute with its former ally.
Speaking to reporters in
Ankara after giving a speech at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Erdogan
repeated plans announced Friday to downgrade diplomatic relations with the
Jewish state and suspend military agreements, specifying that the suspension
would include trade in defense goods.