Accelerating improvement in Turkish-Israeli relations
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that his country has begun contacts with the new Israeli government in the context of the normalization of relations.
During an evaluation meeting on Turkey’s foreign policy in 2012, Davutoglu confirmed that Ankara had also taken important steps to normalize relations with both the Gulf States and Egypt, according to Anadolu Agency.
Oglu stated: Everyone knows about our contacts with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, and based on these contacts, we have contributed to easing regional tensions and ending controversial issues.
The Turkish official added: “we also started some contacts with the new government in Israel. We are carrying out these operations realistically, and of course we are still maintaining our previous position on Palestine”.
A few days ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a delegation from the rabbis of Turkey’s Jewish community, who gave him a Minorah as a gift.
Erdogan, who sees the meeting as crucial at a time of growing intolerance around the world, said: “We need solidarity and a side-by-side fight against the growing Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that exists especially in Western countries”.
The Turkish President called for efforts to strengthen the environment of peace and stability in the Middle East, by saying: “Despite our differences of opinion on Palestine, our relations with Israel in the fields of economy, trade and tourism are advancing in themselves, and in the context of Israeli peace efforts, a sincere and constructive attitude will undoubtedly contribute to the process of normalization”.
According to the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post, Erdogan told the rabbis: “Relations between Turkey and Israel will always be strong, will continue to grow, and normalization of relations with Israel is important and will happen soon, and economic relations between the two countries are stronger than ever and continue to be strengthened”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly gave clear signals to work to restore relations with Israel, following contacts with senior Israeli officials, after the end of the detention crisis of an Israeli couple accused by Ankara of spying for Israel after they photographed one of the Turkish president’s palaces.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported, after the end of this crisis, that a high political source said that Erdogan expressed during a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett the desire for closer relations between the two countries.
