Turkey has entered into secret talks with Israel, perhaps in an attempt by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to thaw out relations between the two countries somewhat. According to a report in Al-Monitor, which covers the Middle East, Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, who is close to Erdogan, has held several meetings with senior people in Israel's defense establishment, among them the head of the Mossad.
According to Al-Monitor correspondent Amberin Zaman, at least three meetings have been held between the two sides, the latest one within the past few days.
The report states that the possibility is being considered in Ankara of the ambassadors of the two countries returning to their posts. It further states that the meetings dealt with the situation in Syria and in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is involved in a severe dispute with Cyprus and Greece over gas exploration areas.
On Tuesday, Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, France and the UAE began a huge joint military exercise intended to deter Turkey. For its part, Israel is demanding that Turkey should put a stop to the activity of hundreds of Hamas activists on its territory.
Zaman opines that Turkey may be looking to improve relations with Israel out of concern that relations with the US are liable to cool under the new administration of Joe Biden.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 3, 2020
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