Turkish Diplomat Calls For Cooperation With Israel, Hinting At Iran

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog during a joint news conference in Ankara, March 9, 2022.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog during a joint news conference in Ankara, March 9, 2022.

Ankara’s envoy to Washington has called for Israeli-Turkish cooperation in countering regional threats, in a possible hint at Iran, amid improving bilateral ties.

In an article published in Tel Aviv University's Dayan Center for Strategic Studies journal Turkeyscope on Tuesday, Ambassador Hasan Murat Mercan highlighted the strong historical relationship between the Jewish and Turkish nations and urged further cooperation, especially in fields of security and energy.

Without mentioning Iran, he wrote, “Turkish-Israeli interaction offers more than a conventional regional partnership in the face of malign actors and trends”, adding that “Dealing with malign actors and their activities throughout our region is a particular area for enhanced coordination”.

“A more robust regional security cooperation between the two, with a specific focus on fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, will also have an added value to both countries’ national security,” he added.

Calling for engagement on regional affairs, he said that “Turkish-Israeli partnership would be effective to further curb destabilizing moves in broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA)”.

The power competition, which is the dominant trend in today’s world and runs the risk of confrontation, “writes off the so-called value of proxy-led spheres of influence” as “inter-regional and intra-regional alliances are becoming all the more relevant”.

Calling the Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey “a visible message of peace and partnership”, he said both Herzog and Erdoğan defined the visit as a “new milestone” and expressed their shared goal to revive political dialogue and foster regional cooperation.