ISRAELI AND TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN BRUSSELS
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz
Arutz Sheva
March 6 2009
Israel
(IsraelNN.com) Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with her Turkish
counterpart, Ali Babacan, on Thursday in a meeting aimed at reconciling
the two governments following months of diplomatic tension. The
meeting, held on the sidelines of a NATO conference in Brussels,
was not revealed to the media ahead of time.
In a statement released later in the day, Israeli Foreign Ministry
officials said, "The ministers stressed the strategic importance of
the firm relations between the two states, noting that cooperation
between the two states is important to the stability of the Middle
East. They agreed that cooperation and political consultations would
continue on all levels."
Livni and Babacan also reportedly discussed "opportunities to advance
peace in the region," among other "bilateral and regional issues."
The significance of the Brussels meeting, the highest-level
face-to-face discussions between Israel and Turkey for several months,
is its contribution to calming relations between the two governments
following a series of diplomatic confrontations.
In early January of this year, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan declared that "Allah would sooner or later punish" Israel. He
later called for Israel to be barred from the United Nations.
On January 29, Erdogan stormed off a stage he shared with Israeli
President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His
action was the culmination of a very vocal debate on Israel’s
counter-terrorism operations in Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, during
which Erdogan charged Israel with "barbaric" actions in Gaza. "When
it comes to killing, you know well how to kill," Erdogan shouted as
he walked out.
Then, in an interview with Haaretz newspaper in mid-February, IDF
Ground Forces Commander Major-General Avi Mizrachi harshly criticized
Erdogan for his verbal attacks on Israel. Mizrachi referred to
Turkey’s genocide against Armenians in the early twentieth century
and its current oppression of the country’s Kurdish minority, saying
Erdogan should "take a look at himself" before accusing Israel of human
rights violations. Responding to Erdogan’s call to expel Israel from
the United Nations, Mizrachi said Turkey should be expelled as well.
Mizrachi was subsequently reprimanded by IDF Chief of Staff
Brig.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. The disciplinary measure was reported to
Turkish civilian and military officials at the time.