Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressed relations with Israel today (Wednesday) and stated that there should be a complete break in trade relations with the Jewish state. "Undoubtedly, Turkey dealt a hard blow to Israel by halting commercial activities with it," the Turkish president said.
Erdogan made these remarks in a speech at the climate summit in Azerbaijan, adding that "coordinated diplomatic efforts must be used to push Israel into a corner." He noted that it is too soon to determine whether Trump will act to reduce the risk of regional war in the Middle East.
In Israel, officials are downplaying Erdogan's declaration. Political sources say that, contrary to Erdogan's statement, there has been no change in the level of relations between the two countries. They believe Erdogan was referring to the cessation of trade relations, and ultimately, there is no comprehensive severing of ties, evidenced by the fact that diplomatic staff remain in both countries.
Erdogan has reiterated similar statements in the past, likely due to mounting pressure on him to completely halt trade with Israel after Turkish traders found alternative routes to transfer goods to the Jewish state. More critically, Erdogan is under substantial pressure to stop the flow of oil from Azerbaijan to Israel, but so far he has refrained from taking that step.
