Erdogan congratulates Herzog.. Turkey seeks warmer relations with Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rushed to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog to congratulate him on his inauguration as Israel’s president.

The Monday night call reveals the depth of Israeli-Turkish relations despite Erdogan’s denials, his ongoing trade with the Palestinian cause, and his denunciation of any country that has relations with Tel Aviv.

The call, as revealed by the Israeli and Turkish statements, carried a signal that “Turkish-Israeli relations are of great importance to the security and stability of the Middle East region”.

Israeli President Herzog said on his Twitter account: “Tonight I spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called me to congratulate me on my inauguration.”

He added : “Both of us stressed that Israeli-Turkish relations are of great importance to security and stability in the Middle East.”

The Israeli president continued: “We agreed to continue the ongoing dialog to contribute to improving relations between the two countries.”

In a similar statement, Erdogan said that “Turkish-Israeli relations are of great importance to the security and stability of the Middle East region,” according to Turkish media.

He added: “Turkey and Israel have great potential in various fields, particularly in energy, tourism and technology.”

Observers in Israel told Al-Ain News that the call was likely an indication of Erdogan’s intention to return the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv.

Observers noted that the call came after the Turkish President summoned his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in a hurry to Ankara two days ago.

According to observers, Erdogan likely informed the Palestinian president of his decision to return the Turkish ambassador to Tel Aviv.

Israeli-Turkish relations have grown significantly in the past few years despite statements by the Turkish President and the recall of the Turkish Ambassador in 2018.