Turkey Holding Talks With Israel to Avoid Clashes in Syria, Foreign Minister Says

Earlier, the President of Azerbaijan said that his country is mediating in the current crisis between Turkey and Israel. He also revealed the central role Azerbaijan played in resolving the years-long crisis between the two countries in 2022.

Liza Rozovsky 

Reuters

Turkey has been holding technical talks with Israel for deconfliction in Syria when needed, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday in a live broadcast on private broadcaster CNN Turk.

Last week, he stated that Turkey “does not want to see any confrontation with Israel in Syria.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that his country is mediating in the current crisis between Turkey and Israel. Additionally, Aliyev revealed the key role his country played in resolving the previous long-standing crisis between Israel and Turkey, which ended in 2022.

Both countries are close friends of Azerbaijan. “With Turkey, we are allies, and Israel is a friendly country to Azerbaijan, and for many years mutual friendship has been demonstrated in difficult times for both of us,” Aliyev said.

Aliyev explained that the crisis between Turkey and Israel is deeply concerning for Azerbaijan. “Now we are facing so-called déjà-vu, so we know the algorithm of our actions, and I can assure you that we are sparing no efforts in order to try to be helpful,” he said, expressing hope that the process led by his country will eventually lead to normalization between Israel and Turkey.

The recent statements made by Turkey’s foreign minister and Azerbaijan’s president are the first following a series of Israeli airstrikes in Syria targeting airports and other facilities. These strikes caused near-total destruction of the large T4 airport in the Homs province, the airport near Hama, and the research center in Raza near Damascus, prompting Syria’s Foreign Ministry to call on the world for intervention.

In early March, Haaretz reported on Azerbaijan’s efforts to send messages aimed at easing tensions between Israel and Turkey, hoping to avoid a clash between the two nations. While Israel seeks to prevent Turkey’s establishment in Syria, both along the Golan border and in the air and sea domains, sources familiar with Azerbaijan’s position indicated that efforts to limit Turkey’s influence in Syria were unrealistic.

Additionally, Azerbaijan’s messages were particularly firm regarding Israel’s stated support for the Kurds in Syria, which contradicts Turkey’s position.

In Israel, efforts were made to pressure the United States to allow Russia to maintain its military bases in Syria, in order to reduce Turkey’s growing influence in the region.

In early March, Reuters reported that in an effort to curb Turkey’s power, Israeli officials tried to persuade American counterparts that Russia should maintain its naval base in Tartus and its airbase in Latakia. Two American sources revealed that when Israeli officials presented Russia’s continued presence in Syria in a positive light, some attendees were surprised and argued that Turkey – a NATO member – would be a better guarantee for Israel’s security. The sources added that the Israeli officials were adamant, insisting this was not the case.