Erdogan
Apologizes To Putin Over Death Of Russian Pilot, Calls Russia
"Friend", Restores Ties With Israel
In
two stunning geopolitical developments over the past 24 hours, Turkey
- which is finding itself increasingly snubbed by not only Europe but
also the US - has pivoted dramatically and shortly after restoring
full deplomatic ties with another country that has recently seen the
cold shoulder from the Obama administration, namely Israel, moments
ago apologized to Russia for last year's downing of a Russian jet
which allegedly crossed above its territory as part of the Russian
campaign against ISIS.
As RT
reports,
Vladimir Putin has received a letter in which Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan apologized for the death of the Russian pilot who was
killed when a Russian jet was downed over the Syrian-Turkish border
last November, the Kremlin said. Erdogan
expressed readiness to restore relations with Moscow, Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Putin
and Erdogan, stock photo.
“The
head of the Turkish state expressed his deep sympathy and condolences
to the relatives of the deceased Russian pilot and said
‘sorry,’” Peskov
said.
In
his letter, Erdogan called Russia “a
friend and a strategic partner” of
Ankara, with whom the Turkish authorities would not want to spoil
relations.
“We
never had a desire or a deliberate intention to down an aircraft
belonging to Russia,” the
letter read, according to a statement published on the Kremlin
website. According to the statement, Erdogan’s letter stressed that
“the Turkish side undertook all the risks and made a great effort
to recover the body of the Russian pilot from the Syrian opposition,
bringing it to Turkey. The organization of the pre-burial procedures
was conducted in accordance with all religious and military
procedures.”
Erdogan
said that Turkey "shares the pain of downed Su-24 pilot's death
with his family" and "sees it as Turkey's pain",
according to Peskov. Ankara
said it treated the family of the dead Russian pilot as if it were a
Turkish family and is “ready for any initiatives to relieve the
pain and severity of the damage done,” the letter said.
The
address by the Turkish leader also informed that a criminal
investigation has been launched against the person suspected of
killing the Russian pilot, Alparslan Celik, the Kremlin said. In
addition, Erdogan expressed readiness to tackle security challenges
in the region and fight terrorism together with Moscow, it dded.
This
takes place just hours after Turkey and Israel agreed to restore full
diplomatic ties after more than six years of animosity, clearing the
way for renewed cooperation between the U.S. allies and an easing of
Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. As the WSJ
reported overnight,
officials from both countries said late Sunday that negotiators in
Rome had reached a deal that will be made public in Jerusalem and
Ankara on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in
Rome to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry and discuss the
agreement.
Relations
collapsed in 2010 after nine Turkish citizens and a Turkish-American
were fatally wounded—including one who died years later— during
an Israeli commando raid on a Turkish ship carrying activists trying
to break the blockade and enter Gaza by sea.
At
a briefing in Rome on Monday morning with Mr. Kerry, ?the Israeli
leader called it an important step toward normalizing relations that
would have?”immense implications” for Israel’s economy. He
didn’t provide further details but was scheduled to speak at a news
conference later in the day.
“It’s
a positive step we wanted,” Mr. Kerry said. “We hope it’s the
beginning of others.”
The
push toward rapprochement came amid security threats to both
nations—the Syrian conflict on their borders, the rise of the
extremist group Islamic State and what many regional governments view
as Iran’s assertive military and political posture.
The
deal won’t end the tight controls Israel imposed on Gaza’s
borders in 2007 to hold Hamas militarily in check—a concession
Turkey had demanded. But, in a compromise that broke a deadlock after
months of talks, Turkey will be allowed to send aid to Gaza through
the Israeli port of Ashdod and to build a 200-bed hospital, new power
plants, residential buildings and other badly needed infrastructure
in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
Israel
will also make it possible for Turkey to launch major development
projects in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory whose borders are
also controlled by Israel, a senior Turkish official said.
“There
are absolutely no references to Hamas in the agreement. Turkey will
continue supporting the Palestinian state and the people of
Palestine... We are pleased to announce that representatives of the
Palestinian government and Hamas have voiced their support to Turkey
within the context of the negotiations,” the Turkish official said
early Monday.
Just
as importantly, the two countries will rebuild military and
intelligence ties, which grew close in the 1990s and early 2000s, an
Israeli official said. They will send ambassadors back to each
other’s capitals.
Under
the agreement, Israel will set up a $20 million fund to compensate
families of those killed and wounded in the 2010 raid, the Israeli
official said, and Turkey will ensure that Israeli officials are
shielded from prosecution over the incident.
But
the real news here is the formation of a new middle-eastern Axis, one
which will include not only Turkey, which in recent months has
pivoted toward restoring relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but
now includes Israel and most importantly Russia. This will have huge
geopolitical implications for not just regional military developments
but also for Russian oil transit plans, as the restoration of
diplomatic relations with Turkey may mean that the Turkish stream
pipeline is once again back online.
Erdogan apologizes to Putin over death of Russian pilot, calls Russia ‘friend & strategic partner’
The President of Turkey expressed sympathy and deep condolences to the family of the killed Russian #Su24 pilot
President of Russia
The President of Turkey expressed sympathy and deep condolences to the family of the killed Russian #Su24 pilot
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