Israel concerned about thaw in Iran-Turkey relations: Expert
An expert on diplomatic relations has said that Iran and Turkey are trying to keep tensions low and not to enter a public confrontation.
Commenting on Turkey's intention to resume relations with Israel and Saudi Arabia, Rahman Ghahramanpor has said that “in the case of Saudi Arabia, Erdoğan seeks to attract investment as he did with the UAE and Qatar.”
As regards Israel, transferring gas from the occupied lands through Turkey is important, he said, adding, “as regards resumption of relations there are important obstacles that make both Israel and Saudi Arabia cautious to get closer to Turkey.”
He added that Israel is always concerned about Iran and Turkey getting closer to each other and believes that if the two countries get closer, Israel's maneuvering space in the region will shrink.
However, Iran and Turkey are trying to keep tensions low and avoid a public confrontation, he said, adding that "but the decrease in volume of trade between the two countries and the decrease in diplomatic exchanges have shown that Iran and Turkey relations are not in a good situation, he said.
Responding to a question about the future of Erdoğan in turkey, he answered that “the popularity of Erdoğan has decreased, but the problem isn’t his popularity decreasing. The issue is that the popularity of the opposition is decreasing.”
“So, although it is true that Erdoğan is in a weaker position than in the past, there is no powerful opposition in Turkey that is able to remove Erdoğan from power,” he added.