Netanyahu discusses Saudi normalization in first Erdogan meeting

NEW YORK, New York – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about the pending Israeli-Saudi normalization deal when he held his first face-to-face meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

“The leaders discussed regional and international issues, including normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

It was Erdogan’s first face-to-face conversation with Netanyahu and his second with an Israeli prime minister since 2008, when he met with former prime minister Ehud Olmert.

Erdogan broke the stalemate last year and met with former prime minister Yair Lapid, after hosting President Isaac Herzog in Ankara earlier that year.

Turkish-Israeli rapprochement was given a boost in January 2022 when Turkey helped foil an Iranian-backed plot to kill Israelis in Istanbul.

As a sign of the warming Turkish-Israeli ties, Netanyahu had planned a trip to Ankara this summer, but it was canceled for health reasons.

Israel-Turkey ties 'growing stronger,' says Netanyahu

“It was agreed to coordinate the visits, which will take place soon,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at Turkish House in New York, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said that ties between the two countries were improving.The leaders decided to continue advancing bilateral relations in trade, economic matters and energy. pic.twitter.com/3dfneBuLsG

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 20, 2023

At the start of the meeting, Netanyahu said they were both wearing similar red ties and then joked about the “ties” between them.

“Our ties are growing stronger,” he told Erdogan.

Israel and Turkey downgraded their previously robust diplomatic ties in 2010 after 10 Turkish citizens were killed during an IDF raid of the Mavi Marmara ship, which was on its way to the Gaza Strip. It was part of a flotilla that sought to break Israel’s naval blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Ankara, in response to the tensions, expelled Israel’s ambassador. That move was rescinded in 2016 but repeated two years later over the killing of dozens of Palestinians who took part in violent protests at the Gaza border during the Hamas-sponsored “Great March of Return.”

Israel, which had complained that Ankara hosted Hamas leaders, reciprocally expelled Turkey’s envoy in 2018.

Ankara restored ties with the Jewish state in recent years as Israel sought regional partners, particularly Cyprus and Greece, to help export its newly developed natural-gas reserves.

Those regional possibilities could dramatically expand now that the United States has announced plans for an India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) that will involve Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkey, which views itself as a regional power, is interested in joint energy projects with Israel. With an eye toward economic projects and improving its regional status, it has also made overtures to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

In the past, Erdogan and Netanyahu have often exchanged bitter barbs, and the Turkish president has often made headlines with anti-Israel remarks during his UN General Assembly speeches, which often include supportive statements about the Palestinians.

This year, Erdogan moderated his tone and said without a two-state resolution to the conflict at the pre-1967 lines, it would be “difficult for Israel to find the peace and security it seeks.”

In describing Tuesday’s meeting between Erdogan and Netanyahu, the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey said Netanyahu and Erdogan had discussed political, economic, and regional topics, including the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Erdogan told Netanyahu the two countries could cooperate on energy, technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, the Presidency said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, who participated in the meeting, said: “Opportunities for energy cooperation, primarily in areas like natural-gas exploration, production, and trade, were discussed.”

On his X account, Erdogan wrote that he hoped “consultations [will] be beneficial for our country and region.”

As a sign of the similarity between the economic visions of the two men, both leaders on Monday met separately with controversial billionaire Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and X.

In an X post on Wednesday morning, Netanyahu said he was “encouraged by the improving ties between our nations, we are committed to advancing bilateral relations in trade, economy, and energy.

“Thankful for our security services’ cooperation in preventing attacks and saving lives. Looking forward to reciprocal visits to foster this renewed partnership,” Netanyahu wrote.