Eitan Na'eh
Turkey expert optimistic about Israel's new ambassador to Ankara
Career diplomat Eitan Na'eh is Jerusalem's choice as the first ambassador to its neighbor since 2010; INSS Turkey expert says normalization process between the countries is on right track.
Israel appointed 53-year-old Eitan Na'eh on Tuesday as the ambassador to Turkey, the first appointment since the reconciliation agreement was signed in June.
Na'eh has specialized in Turkish affairs during his career and served in Ankara in 1991 as second and then first secretary for political affairs. Currently Na'eh serves as deputy ambassador to Britain and has also served as ambassador to Azerbaijan and as a policy advisor in the Prime Minister's Office.
Na'eh's appointment fulfills a clause of the controversial reconciliation deal that ended a six-year diplomatic crisis between the two countries. The deal was ratified by the Turkish parliament in August.
Eitan Na'eh
"The decision to exchange the ambassadors is a positive sign of the determination of both sides to move ahead," said Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss, Research Fellow at the Institute for National and Security Studies (INSS) and Turkish foreign policy specialist, to Tazpit Press Service (TPS).
"Turkey and Israel are determined to continue with the normalization process. There was indeed some delay due to the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15th, but it was not substantial," she stated.
Diplomatic relations had been strained since the Israeli Navy raided the Mavi Marmara in 2010 to prevent the ship from violating the naval blockade enforced by both Israel and Egypt around Gaza. Ten Turkish citizens were killed and dozens were wounded, triggering the worst diplomatic crisis between the countries in decades. Ankara was led to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv and expel Israel's ambassador from Turkey.
The deal paves the way for the return of mutual ambassadorial delegations, along with future cooperation to exploit natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. In October, Energy and Water Resources Minister Yuval Steinitz visited Ankara and met his Turkish counterpart Berat Albayrak to discuss the idea of building a pipeline to supply Turkey with Israeli natural gas.
According to Lindenstrauss, however, several obstacles to the pipeline remain, including lingering mistrust between Israel and Turkey and a similar deal between Russia and Turkey. Lindenstrauss said it is not clear that the project will materialize, but added that there are still positive developments on both sides.
Similarly and in accordance with the deal, Turkey has sent several humanitarian aid shipments to the Gaza Strip controlled by Israel through the Ashdod port, and Turkey lifted its veto on Israeli cooperation in a recent NATO drill in Montenegro.
"What is still lacking from Israel's perspective is the withdrawal of the Turkish court cases against Israeli officers" involved in the Marmara incident, explained Lindenstrauss.
"Israel's exports to Turkey have dropped substantially in the last two years, but while part of the reason is the drop in energy prices, it is also the result of the diplomatic crisis in recent years, a trend which will now hopefully be reversed," she concluded.
Article reprinted with permission from TPS
