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Iranian President’s Visit to Turkey Will Not Affect Ankara and Jerusalem Relations

Politics Materials 13 August 2008 11:31 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 9 August /corr. Trend U.Sadikova / The current visit of the Iranian President to Turkey causes in Israel the fear of the rapprochement of Teheran and West. However, this is the continuation of negotiations around the Iranian nuclear problem.

"Israel protests against this in order to suppress any attempt of Teheran to approach the West, even if Turkey participates here," Turkish politician Arif Keskin said. He is the researcher of the Center for Turkish-Iranian Relations.

The Ambassador of Israel to Turkey, Gabi Ley, reported on Friday that official Jerusalem protests against the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Turkey, which will take place on 14 August. According to the officials of Israel, Jerusalem will re-consider its relations with Ankara after this visit because Turkey receives the first enemy of Israeli State, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday.

The current visit of the Iranian President to Turkey must become the first stage to the solution of Iranian nuclear problem and the beginning of regulating relations with the West. According to the Turkish politician Keskin, Ankara, knowing the risk of this step, receives Ahmadinejad in order to avoid the ripening war of Iran with the West. If the events around the Iranian nuclear program will be continuing in such background, then conflict can be wrapped up by the large-scale war, which will cover not only Iran, but also large part of the Near East. The politician considers that one of the optimum solutions to the problem are negotiations with the Iranian side.

"Recently Turkey more frequently attempts to act as a mediator between Iran and West to improve the relations of the sides, using all diplomatic channels," Keskin told Trend by telephone from Istanbul.

Even during the presidential term of the former Turkish President Nejad Sesar, Ahmadinejad wanted to visit Turkey, but Ankara rejected to accept it. According to Keskina, then no one could to suppose that the nuclear problem of Iran will be so far, and it will be threaten by war.
"Unlike other countries of the Middle East, Turkey has close relations with the West. Ankara wants to use them interfere in this problem, knowing that the West and Israel are dissatisfied with it," said Keskin.

Israel protests against this visit because Ahmadinejad will earn large popularity in the West after this. According to Keskin, this will give boost to new negotiations of Iran with Europe in spite of the threats of Teheran towards Israel.

"Israel fears duplicating. If today Turkey receives Ahmadinejad, then the West can repeat that this is disadvantageous to Jerusalem," Keskin said.


However, the relations between Turkey and Israel will hardly change after this because Turkish side adheres to the point of view of Europe in the nuclear question of Iran.

For a period of decades, Turkey and Israel have been realizing reliable strategic partnership in the Middle East, a source at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which wished to remain unknown, told Trend . Assessing the current level of Turkish-Israeli relations, the source named them important and strategic for both countries because both countries faced terrorism.

"Israel supports the necessary and fair fight of Turkey against the fighters of Kurdish Working Party. We recognize territorial integrity and indivisibility of Turkey," the source emphasized.

According to the Iranian politician Mirtakha, Israel attempts to isolate Iran from the international community in every possible way, together with other countries of the Middle East. Therefore, it wants to intimidate Turkey with stoppage of relations, but Jerusalem will never go to this step.

"In the problems with the Arab countries, Israel needs the assistance of Turkey. So, the talks and threats in the address of Ankara are groundless," Mirtakha, Doctor of Political Science of the Teheran University, told Trend by telephone from Tehran on Saturday.

Turkey will consider its relations with Israel after Iranian President's visit and which proposals he will make. According to independent Arab expert Vail Mirza, Israel's position in the issue still unclear, as Israel knows well about Turkey's will to mediate between Iran and West including Israel.

"I believe that the Ahmadinejad's current visit to Turkey will not change Ankara's position. For example, before Ahmadinejad had visited the United States (September 2007), however, the then visit did not affect Iran's position with Washington," Mirza told Trend via a telephone from Abu Dhabi.

In July, EU and United States representative started new round of negotiations with Iran on the nuclear program. However, the issue has not been yet solved.  According to Arab political scientist, the presence of the West is felt in Ahmadinejad's visit to Turkey, which wants to come closer to Teheran via Turkey to regulate the nuclear program.

"Perhaps, the current Iranian President's visit is continuation of the negotiations. Europe does not want to receive its opponent in the Middle East, after all," Mirza said. Turkey is one of the first countries in the Middle East to recognize Israel. Therefore, the relations between both states are reliable. Turkey stands as a mediator between the Syrian-Israeli negotiations.

Turkey-Iran relations became worsening after the Islamic Revolution succeeded in Iran in 1979. Turkey was afraid of the revolutionary influence over the country with secular state structure. The relations between the countries stabilized after the Islamic Fair and Development Party came to power in Turkey.

"Israel will never permit to worse relations with Turkey, which is the fragile connection for Jerusalem with Middle East," Mirtakha said.

The correspondent can be contacted at: [email protected]

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