Turkish Official: Ankara Eager to Restore Ties with Israel

Sky News revealed Wednesday that an advisor to the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that Ankara intends to restore its relations with Tel Aviv, and that his country bought Israeli weapons in the past and that may happen in the future.

Western and Israeli media quoted Turkish Chancellor Masoud Cassin that the relationship between the two sides is on the verge of a breakthrough, and diplomatic relations between the two countries could be resumed next March.

Cassin confirmed reports of talks between the two sides to strengthen diplomatic relations, which Turkish intelligence director Hakan Fidan is carrying out with Israeli officials.

He stressed that establishing peace and security is very important for Turkey and Israel alike, noting that his country does not want another incident with Israel after the Mavi Marmara incident.

The Turkish official acknowledged that the election of Joe Biden as president of the United States was a drive to repair relations with Tel Aviv.

The Turkish president has enjoyed a close relationship with outgoing US President Donald Trump, but the Biden presidency is expected to be more difficult for Ankara.

The expert on Turkish-Israeli relations, Celine Nassi, said in statements to Sky News “It is expected that Turkish-US relations will enter a difficult phase, at least in the short term, given Biden's sensitivity towards issues of democracy and human rights.”

“If we take into account the general trend in the Congress hostile to Turkey, the latter hopes that Israel will be able to neutralize this position and help Ankara win the favor of Washington,” he added.

Turkey and Israel found common ground in the bloody conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as the two countries supported Azerbaijan in its struggle with the Armenian population of the region.

Drones and intelligence from all of Turkey and Israel were a fundamental factor in the victory of Azerbaijan over Armenia.

Erdogan’s advisor said that Tel Aviv has a lot to gain from normalizing relations with Ankara, adding “Turkey bought a lot of weapons from Israel, and we can arrange that again, Where the Turkish and Israeli defense industries can move forward together.”