Russia, Israel normalise ties with Turkey; Putin calls Erdogan

In the wake of attack Istanbul airport attack that killed 41 people Russia and Israel on Wednesday have ordered to normalise their tense relations with Turkey, with Russian President Vladimir Putin making the first phone call to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan since Ankara downed a Russian jet last year.

Putin lifted Moscow’s travel restrictions to Turkey and ordered trade ties normalized.

In Jerusalem, Israeli cabinet ministers also approved a deal reached with Turkey at the weekend on normalising relations after years of acrimony over a deadly 2010 raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

The security cabinet approved the deal seven to three after four and a half hours of debate, giving it final Israeli government approval, a spokesman said.

In November last year, Turkey had downed a Russian warplane in Syria after which Moscow slapped a range of sanctions on Ankara, including an embargo on some Turkish food products, as well as a ban on charter flights and sales of package tours to the country and the reintroduction of visas for Turkish visitors.

The breakthrough phone call by Putin to Erdogan came after the Turkish strongman on Monday sent a letter to the Kremlin leader that Moscow said contained an apology.

In a statement, the Kremlin said that Putin expressed ‘profound condolences’ over the bombing and shooting attack at Istanbul’s main airport that killed at least 41 people and was pinned by Ankara on Islamic State group.

The Turkish presidency said in a statement that Erdogan and Putin ‘highlighted the importance of the normalisation of bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia’.

The downing of the Russian warplane in Syria slammed the brakes on burgeoning relations between Russia and Turkey and sparked a bitter war of words between the leaders.

Turkey has argued that the Russian plane strayed into its airspace and ignored repeated warnings, but Russia insisted it did not cross the border and accused Turkey of a ‘planned provocation’.

Putin called it a ‘stab in the back’ and demanded an apology from Erdogan, who he also accused of being involved in the illegal oil trade with the Islamic State group.

On the other hand, close relations between Israel and Turkey were downgraded significantly after Israeli commandos staged a botched pre-dawn raid on the six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Nine activists aboard the Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara ferry were killed, with a 10th person later dying of his wounds.