A commercial envoy to strengthen Turkey's ties with Israel

ANKARA: Turkey's hopes of improving trade relations with Israel have been strengthened with the arrival of a commercial attaché at the nation's embbady in Tel Aviv.
The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported Thursday night. Israel has a commercial attaché in Istanbul to build economic bridges between the two countries.
Prior to the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010, when Israeli commandos were killing 10 Turkish activists on board an aid ship in Gaza, bilateral relations were dominated Trade and tourism, as well as defense cooperation, including joint exercises
Although defense relations were weakened by the damage done to political links, trade and trade relations developed steadily
. billion Turkish goods – mainly cars, iron, plastic, machinery, textiles and metals. Its exports to Turkey – mainly chemicals and refined petroleum – amounted to $ 1.4 billion.
Cooperation on energy resources is a source of untapped potential. Turkey wants to diversify its energy imports, which depend on Russia, while Israel plans to use its own domestic energy resources, including vast reserves of submarine gas, to get a boost. regional leverage effect
. an option. But any pipeline will cross the economic exclusion zone of Cyprus and will require a positive outcome of the country's peace talks.
Selin Nasi, an expert on Israeli-Turkish relations, said Turkey's decision to appoint a commercial attaché in Israel is a positive step.
"But it is too early to say if it will lead to political reconciliation.The relations between the two countries have improved after Israel agreed to pay $ 20 million in compensation to the families of the victims of the raid However, political hostility has recently resurfaced over United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The United States will not revoke its decision in Jerusalem Nasi (19459003), Gaza, "Soon, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, is expected to announce a peace deal without Palestinian involvement."
Prospects for deeper engagement between Turkey and Israel in the short term look poor, she said.
However, behind the scenes, diplomatic initiatives help to restore links.
"The two countries are still cooperating on a number of issues, be it trade or the sharing of intelligence against terrorism," she said. The Muslim county recognizes the Israeli state in 1948 and has signed several economic agreements with Tel Aviv.
Gallia Lindenstrauss, a researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute of National Security Studies, said the appointment of an economic attaché highlights conflicting trends. "On the one hand, states seem to be in conflict over Jerusalem and Gaza. On the other hand, there are still economic benefits to maintaining relationships and even trying to improve the volume of trade, "she said.
According to Lindenstrauss, Turkey's embbady in Israel was understaffed Eitan Naeh, Israel's ambbadador to Ankara, left Turkey on May 15 at the request of Ankara after the killing of 60 Palestinians by soldiers along the Gaza border Turkey also recalled its ambbadador from Tel Aviv
Experts consider the trade movement as a pragmatic reconciliation Israel is one of the top 10 export markets of Turkish products in the world.
According to Nasi, if the appointment of an economic attaché in Israel is not followed by the reciprocal return of the ambbadadors to their posts, this will show that economic cooperation will constitute L & # 39; Backbone of relations between countries
From a broader point of view, this decision could also be related to Turkish-American relations, said Nasi. "At a time when Turkey and the United States are working to repair their ties, Turkey's decision can be interpreted as a gesture of goodwill towards Washington," she said. cooperation on Syria. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his American and French counterparts Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron at the NATO summit this week.
Ankara recently offered to play a bigger role in NATO missions.