It could be a new beginning: there was a long ice age between Turkey and Israel. But now the two countries are getting closer again diplomatically.
For the first time in more than ten years, an Israeli President has traveled to Turkey.
Izchak Herzog said during his visit to Ankara on Wednesday that Israel and Turkey “could and should work together on many issues that are having a dramatic impact on this region we all call ‘home’.” Erdogan called the visit “historic”. He hopes to achieve a “turning point” in relations between the two countries. Both posed with a long handshake after their joint press conference.
The once close allies Turkey and Israel fell out in 2010 after ten Turkish citizens were killed when the Israeli navy stormed a Gaza solidarity ship. In 2016 there was a rapprochement. However, since the Gaza crisis in 2018, which escalated around the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, the two countries no longer have ambassadors in each other’s countries. According to Herzog’s office, the last time an Israeli president visited Turkey was in 2007.
Turkey is likely to be primarily interested in better economic relations. Israel is also working with other countries to advance a gas pipeline project through the eastern Mediterranean. To their displeasure, Turkey has so far been excluded from this. With regard to the Ukraine war, Erdogan said that the current global political situation shows how important energy security is and declared Turkey’s willingness to cooperate.
Both countries maintain close relations with Russia and Ukraine and are in talks as potential mediators. On Turkey’s initiative, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia, Dmytro Kuleba and Sergey Lavrov, are to meet in Antalya on Thursday.
Source: Stern
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