Israeli President Isaac Herzog is going to Turkey on Wednesday March 9 for the first visit by an Israeli head of state to Ankara since 2007, with the aim of warming up bilateral relations which have been strained over the past ten years.
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Isaac Herzog, whose position is largely honorary, is to meet his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in recent years has been an ardent defender of the Palestinian cause, complicating relations with the Jewish state.
The visit, which has been in preparation for weeks, comes as the two countries have separately launched a Russia-Ukraine mediation and the conflict could interfere with their talks.
But bilateral issues are likely to dominate the meeting, after more than 10 years of cold diplomacy.
Relations have been strained since the Mavi Marmara affair in 2010, when Israeli forces launched a deadly assault on a Turkish ship trying to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave under Israeli blockade.
The two countries then recalled their ambassadors in 2018 after the deaths of Palestinian protesters in Gaza.
"A New Chapter"
Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said he expected the visit of Isaac Herzog, with whom he has spoken on several occasions since the Israeli's inauguration in July, to "
open a new chapter
" in their relationship.
In mid-November, he met with his Israeli counterpart and the Prime Minister of the Hebrew State, Naftali Bennett - the first meeting between an Israeli Prime Minister and Recep Tayyip Erdogan since 2013 - a few hours after the liberation and the return in their country of an Israeli tourist couple accused of spying and detained in Turkey.
This incident turned out to be “
a turning point
” as it helped to “
generate a dialogue between the Israeli and Turkish sides and created an opportunity for better relations
notes Gallia Lindenstrauss, an Israeli analyst at the Institute for Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv.
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Israeli officials say Isaac Herzog and Recep Tayyip Erdogan could discuss the possibility of exporting Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey, an issue at the center of the news as Europeans seek to reduce their dependence on Russian gas .
Israel had concluded an agreement in 2020 with Cyprus and Greece on the construction of a gas pipeline to transport gas to Europe, a project which had aroused opposition from Turkey.
Israel, Cyprus and Greece, three allies in the eastern Mediterranean having multiplied trilateral meetings in recent years, share the same animosity towards Ankara.
The three countries also participate in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum along with other countries in the region, but which excludes Turkey.
Reassure his Greek ally
In January, the Turkish president said he was ready to cooperate with Israel on the gas pipeline project, marking Ankara's desire to renew ties.
For Turkey, the frustration stemming from its exclusion from discussions on gas, as well as a domestic economic crisis and relations which have recently become strained with Washington, push to want to resume contact with Israel, decrypts Gallia Lindenstrauss.
The Israeli president went to Athens at the end of February for a visit intended to reassure his Greek ally before the trip to Turkey.
"
The improvement of relations with Turkey is not at the expense of the very important relations with Greece and Cyprus
," assured AFP, on condition of anonymity, an Israeli official.
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For Gallia Lindenstrauss, the warming of relations between Israel and Turkey could “
turn out to be good news for Greece and Cyprus too, if it reflects more moderation in Turkish foreign policy
”.
Isaac Herzog is also due to meet with members of the Jewish community in Istanbul on Thursday before returning to Israel.