Erdoğan says visit of Israel's Herzog 'a turning point' in bilateral relations

Photo: AA

President Isaac Herzog of Israel yesterday (March 9) visited Turkey in what was the first visit of an Israeli president in 14 years.

In a joint press conference with Herzog after their meeting in the capital of Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the visit will be a "turning point" in bilateral relations.

"Our common goal with Israel is to revive the political dialogue between our countries based on common interests, respect for mutual sensitivities," he remarked.

Expressing his appreciation for Herzog's visit, Erdogan said strengthening the ties with Israel is of great importance for regional stability and peace as well as for the two countries.

The relations between the two countries had been strained since Israel's raid on a flotilla, bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza in 2009 in what is known as the "Mavi Marmara incident."

In 2016, the two countries signed an agreement in which Israel accepted to pay compensation to the families of the nine people who were killed in the raid.

The economic relations between Turkey and Israel have been largely unaffected by the tense relations.

Economic cooperation

Stressing the importance of potential bilateral cooperation in various fields, particularly in economic and commercial relations, Erdogan said, "Despite the pandemic, our trade volume expanded by 36 percent and reached 8.5 billion dollars last year. I believe we will increase this figure to 10 billion dollars in 2022 through joint efforts."

He also underlined that Turkey has the experience and capacity to implement such projects, adding, "I expressed to Mr. President that we are ready to cooperate in projects to be carried out in the fields of energy and energy security. Recent developments in our region have once again demonstrated the importance of energy security."

"We have serious cooperation opportunities in fields such as tourism, science, advanced technology, agriculture, health, and defense industry," he added.

Historical roots of bilateral ties

Herzog for his part said the aim is to lay foundations for the development of friendly relations between Turkiye, Israel, and the peoples of the two countries.

"Israel and Turkey can and should engage in a cooperation that will impact this region we all call home," Herzog said.

"The Turkish foreign minister will visit Israel next month and will hold talks with the Israeli foreign minister, and this will enable the continuation of the dialogue," he added.

Noting that the relationship between the peoples of the two countries has very strong historical, religious, and cultural roots, Herzog said a distinguished list of figures, including many Jewish men and women leaders, poets, and merchants, are all part of the Jewish history in the country.

Stressing that members of all religions can and should live together in peace in the region, Herzog said: "I wish that we work together to establish stability, prosperity, peace, and security in the region."

The Israeli president also said his visit to Turkiye is the continuation of dialogue and connection since he took office last July.

"We are children of Abraham"

Herzog continued his speech by quoting a Turkish poem, On living, by prominent poet Nazım Hikmet.

"We, two peoples, two countries, choose to embark on a journey of trust and respect that will involve an in-depth dialogue in all areas."

Both nations are "children of the Prophet Abraham," he said.

"I believe that all of us, members of all religions, Christians, Jews, and Muslims, can and should live side by side in peace with each other in this beautiful region," he said.

Noting that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown "how bad the wars are," Herzog stressed the importance of building bridges between countries and peoples for a stable world order. (VK)