Israel and Turkey: it’s time to compromise

Pyotr Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to VK

Israeli journalists continue to discuss the results of the meeting between Premier Netanyahu and a group of Turkish journalists. The newspaper “Today Zaman” was the first Turkish periodical which reported on results of the meeting. All participants of the press conference state that atmosphere was very friendly, as if there were no two years of crisis in relations between two countries. Israeli Premier began the meeting by the statement that in the context of developments in Syria, Egypt, and other countries Israel and Turkey are centers of stability in the Middle East, and in favor of stability and its returning to the regions cooperation between two countries is not only desirable, but also necessary.

Netanyahu said that he wants relations between Israeli and Turkey return to previous conditions. Israeli Premier promised his guests to take all necessary efforts to do it, but he didn’t specify what these efforts meant. Netanyahu turned to the history of relations between Turks and Jews. According to the head of the Israeli government, “two our peoples need each other.” “In fact our negotiations on peace-making with Turkey has never stopped. We hold this channel open,” Netanyahu stated.

Turkish journalists also tell about their conversation with a top official, representative of Premier’s administration who asked not to mention his name. Despite statements by the foreign minister of Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, to Hurriyet, this source said that secret talks between Israel and Turkey had never stopped. “The problem is that both sides climbed up to high trees in the conflict and they don’t know how to climb down, even though they want to do it. Something should be found which enables them to save faces.”