"Zero problems with neighbors": Turkey reconciled with Israel

Israel and Turkey today reached an agreement on the normalization of relations after six years of mutual estrangement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference in Rome.

"We have signed an agreement of strategic importance between Turkey and Israel," he stressed.

In turn, the Prime Minister of Turkey, Binali Yildirim, said that the agreement on normalization of relations has been initialled, and tomorrow it will be signed by the Deputy Foreign Ministers of the two countries, after which it will be transferred for the approval of the government and parliament.

The next step will be the appointment of ambassadors.

The reconciliation between Israel and Turkey has been welcomed by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. At a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem, he called it "an encouraging signal for stability in the region."

Vestnik Kavkaza asked our Turkish experts what the prospects of these agreements are.

As the Turkish political scientist Hussain Altynalan said in an interview with our correspondent, the normalization of relations is in the interests of both states. "In the end, it was clear that both countries have been losing in this conflict. The parties have taken a step towards each other, which is dictated by the regional environment and a number of other issues. For example, there is the energy issue associated with the sale of Israeli gas to the world markets through the territory of Cyprus. The pipeline, which can be built in a roundabout way, is estimated to cost $15 billion, and it will cost Israel $2 billion in Cyprus alone. I think that issues of mutually beneficial partnerships have affected the normalization of relations in the end,’’ the expert suggested.

"Turkey has lost a great deal due to a conflict with Israel. In fact, due to it the country has not been able to support Palestine in full, and the conflict has brought harm to the Palestinians themselves,’’ Hussein Altynalan recalled.

"I think there are contradictions in the issues of regional security. Israel does not always implement its promises. Here it is similar to the European Union. The EU has also promised Turkey a lot, but in the end a lot of promises have not been implemented," the analyst said.

"I think the strength of this relationship will depend largely on Israel and its relationship with Palestine. As for Turkey, it is decisive in restoring relations, Erdogan is loyal to the principles of the mutually beneficial partnership. Although I do not exclude that there will be opponents of the normalization of the relations between Israel and Turkey, and we can expect provocations, especially due to the fact that the political system in Israel is very heterogeneous. I do not rule out a possible terrorist attack to blame Hamas, that will eventually lead to a deterioration of the relations between Turkey and Israel," Altynalan Hussein concluded.

According to the representative of the International Research Center (USAK), Hassan Selim Ozertem, the agreement on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel has not come as a surprise. "The issue of the normalization of relations with Israel has been worked out for over a year. But to answer why it has happened now, two factors should be considered. The first is associated with a threat to regional security due to the critical situation in the Middle East, which affects both states

And the second is a power factor that plays an important role in bilateral relations," the expert said.

"Today bilateral trade turnover, despite the difficult relationship, amounts to $6 billion. There are very good prospects for cooperation in the economic and energy sectors, but public opinion will not change soon in the diplomatic angle for broader cooperation, as both sides have been accusing each other for too long," Hasan Selim Ozertem said.

‘’Much has changed in Turkey and Israel during this time – first of all, Israel discovered large gas deposits, which led to the search for markets for their resources. Israel has had a desire to sell initially its energy resources to Egypt, but the Egyptian gas market is meager and the situation there is very complicated, which eventually led the Israelites to seek a fortune in the Turkish market. According to a consensus of analysts, Turkey can become a very profitable market for Israeli gas,’’ the analyst said.

"In its turn, the new government headed by Bignell Yildirim, who has already announced that the main theme in the foreign policy of the country would be "fewer enemies and more friends", came to power in Turkey, and I think the warming of the relations between Israel and Turkey is a part of this policy. In addition, Lieberman’s return to power in Israel, who was known as a supporter of establishing relations with Turkey in the past, will also have a positive effect on the normalization of the relations between the two countries," Hasan Selim Ozertem summed up.