Israel, Turkey looking to boost economic ties

The Turkish and Israeli foreign ministers declared on Wednesday that their countries are hoping to widen their economic relations as they seek to end more than a decade of tense relations.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is on the second day of a two-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, the first visit of a high-level Turkish official in one and half decades. “The goal is to develop and expand economic and civil relationships between our countries,” said Yair Lapid, Israeli counterpart, alongside Cavusoglu in Jerusalem, “and build on the regional and global comparative advantages of our two countries, even during the pandemic and even during periods of political tension.”

Both foreign ministers said that officials would begin working on a new civil aviation agreement soon. Turkey and Israel are striving to re-establish their longstanding relations as energy becomes a key area of potential cooperation.

Both countries deported ambassadors in 2018 and have often exchanged harsh statements over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We believe that the normalization of our relations will also have a positive effect on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Turkey is ready to accept the responsibility to continue the dialogue efforts,’ said Cavusoglu.

Peace negotiations negotiated by the United States between Israel and the Palestinians aimed to establish an independent Palestinian state in East Jerusalem. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip collapsed in 2014 and neither side has had serious negotiations since then.