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Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that Israel has no intention of further deteriorating its already strained relations with Türkiye, as he met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku to discuss preparations for an upcoming Azerbaijani-Israeli business forum.
“We have no interest in deteriorating relations with Türkiye from what it already is,” Saar said in an exclusive interview with the Azerbaijani Press Agency.
“We have had diplomatic relations with Türkiye for decades. Sadly, however, in the 1990s, the relationship deteriorated, and that was their choice,” he said.
“Everyone can speculate about the reasons, but I will not speculate about the reasons in this interview; this is simply a fact,” Saar added.
Speaking to Türkiye Today, political analyst Hasan Mesut Onder said any meaningful improvement in bilateral relations would likely depend on political change in Israel.
Saar also said that about a month ago, “a meeting was held with the participation of senior officials from both sides in order to establish a mechanism that would be useful in such situations.”
According to a statement from Aliyev’s office earlier Monday, the two sides expressed satisfaction with recent high-level contacts and said the planned business forum would contribute to expanding trade and economic ties.
The momentum in Israel–Türkiye relations shifted after Oct. 7, with Ankara becoming as one of the fiercest critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Türkiye has accused Israel of genocide in the Palestinian enclave, halted all trade with Israel, called for international measures and urged global powers to stop supporting Israel.
“For the Israeli bureaucracy, Türkiye is highly significant. However, the current Netanyahu government is consolidating its power through an anti-Türkiye stance,” Onder said.
“In my view, Saar’s statement is important as a declaration of intent, but it is unlikely that these relations will follow a positive trajectory in the short term.”
Another analyst, Assistant Professor Gokhan Cinkara, described Saar’s remarks as conciliatory.
“I believe that relations between Israel and Türkiye have entered a positive trajectory,” Cinkara said. “It seems that Israel now wants to reach an understanding with Türkiye, and the minister’s remarks can be interpreted as a sign that this new course has begun.”
Cinkara also said Azerbaijan seeks to play a mediating role between Türkiye and Israel, adding that Baku wants stability in relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv.
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The comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the establishment of a “Board of Peace” on Jan. 15, an initiative that includes both Türkiye and Israel as part of a broader Gaza plan under which a ceasefire agreement was reached.
The board was later authorized by a U.N. Security Council resolution in November 2025.
According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 71,600 people, most of them women and children, have been killed and more than 171,300 wounded in Israel’s offensive since October 2023, leaving much of Gaza in ruins. Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued attacks in the enclave, killing 484 Palestinians and wounding 1,321, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
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