Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia and Israel represent a tactical shift in diplomacy rather than a value-based commitment to cordial relations, said Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD) Turkish program in Washington.
Turkey and Armenia have appointed special envoys to restore diplomatic relations interrupted since the early 1990s and open a common border. They held their first meeting in Moscow on 14 January.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog may visit Ankara next month after Israel cautiously welcomed Turkey’s calls to repair relations torn apart by disagreements in regional politics and the Palestinian issue.