Hürriyet: Ankara keeps distance from Netanyahu but open to future regional cooperation

Türkiye has ruled out contact with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying any future engagement with Israel will depend on the ideology and policies of its next administration, according to the Turkish daily Hürriyet.

The report came in response to remarks made by U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, who recently said that Türkiye and Israel will not engage in war.

Barrack also suggested that the two countries could cooperate across a region stretching from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean.

According to Hürriyet, U.S. officials see Barrack’s statement not merely as an observation but as part of Washington’s broader diplomatic efforts to prevent potential confrontation and to encourage future dialogue between Ankara and any post-Netanyahu government.

The newspaper added that Barrack’s reference to cooperation from the Caspian to the Mediterranean might hint at the creation of a new energy and trade corridor linking Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Israel, potentially reshaping regional economic and strategic ties.

By Aghakazim Guliyev