Determined to close Turkey's open fronts with Eastern Mediterranean countries other than Greece and Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears. The beginning was made with Egypt, despite the problems, and it will continue with Israel, as he revealed in the press conference with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuτςiτς, in Ankara.
The Turkish president announced that talks are already underway with Israeli President and Prime Minister Isaac Herzog and Naftali Bennett, respectively, stressing that earlier talks between the two countries could take place on the transfer of Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey.
Going a step further, Erdogan appeared optimistic about the official visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey in the near future.
"In the past, when Mr. Berat was the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, talks were held with Israel and in those talks with Israel, it was agreed that the gas that would come out of there would go to Europe via Turkey. We can do that now. There you know the conversations that are taking place now with President Mr. Herzog. There may be a visit by Mr. Herzog to Turkey. "In the meantime, there are some positive approaches of Prime Minister Bennett," said the Turkish president.
Since 2010, and the incident with the Mavi Marmara ship heading to the Gaza Strip, Turkey-Israel relations have reached a nadir, leading to the recall of diplomatic envoys. In recent years, however, Ankara has sought to normalize relations with the Israelis by promoting their plans in the region. The US distancing itself from the EastMed gas pipeline is intensifying Turkish efforts.
In his statements, Erdogan pointed out that Turkey's goal is to approach Israel in the logic of "kazan-kazan", ie "win-win" as he often repeats, sometimes ignoring international law and the law of the sea, especially with Greece and Cyprus. "The goal is with the positive approaches to reach somewhere. That is, by supporting these positive approaches and the logic of the cauldron, we do what we can. And for peace we do what is necessary, if oil is a vehicle for peace, we use it too. "But if it is not to be a vehicle for peace, then of course the decision belongs to each of the countries," he said.
Although he appeared as a "peacemaker", the Turkish president reiterated that the seismic and drilling vessels procured by Turkey in recent years would continue their work in the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, stressing that his country "did not buy in vain" the these ships. "Currently we have four drilling vessels and two seismic surveys and all of them will do all the work in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. "And with this work, first of all, Allah, we will make efforts to ensure opportunities for the nation and the region. We are carrying out work in the Black Sea, while in the Mediterranean, we will do it with our equipment," he said, responding indirectly to drilling underway in block 10 of the Cyprus EEZ by ExxonMobil's joint venture with Qatar Petroleum, has remained, despite Turkish threats.
Source: First Topic