Erdogan displays no interest towards relations with Israel, Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - An election manifesto unveiled by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) does not mention tension ties with former ally Israel and blames Armenia for a stalemate in efforts to normalize relations.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose party is expected to win a third term in the upcoming June 12 elections, unveiled the manifesto, which Erdogan called the AK Party's manifesto for 2023. Тhe document neglects to mention relations with Israel and ways to restore strained ties with the Jewish state. Relations between Turkey and Israel hit the lowest point ever last year after a lethal Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara, carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza to break Israel's naval blockade.

The party’s manifesto, which includes its foreign policy vision, attaches importance to its growing relations with Middle Eastern countries and stresses ties with the US among its primary priorities, while failing to mention Israel.

Another country, Armenia, whose relations with Turkey seemed on the brink of rescue in 2009 but failed to proceed, also was not on the AK Party’s foreign policy priority list. The document says Armenia’s unconstructive approaches prevented Turkey from coming to a desired point in the normalization process with the neighboring country.

“Our position with respect to the solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem and Genocide is clear. With regard to reciprocal and simultaneous steps for a solution, Turkey will not refrain from doing what it needs to do,” the document notes.

Turkey and Armenia signed twin protocols in 2009 in Zurich to bury a century of hostilities, which also included opening of borders between Turkey and Armenia if their parliaments ratified the protocols. Faced with Azerbaijan’s fierce opposition, Turkey said Armenia needs to display a constructive position on Nagorno Karabakh peace talks and pegged the ratification of the protocols to a possible breakthrough in the Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.

Armenia suspended the process on April 22 last year and blamed Turkey for blocking the process, Today’s Zaman reported.