Turkish FM thanks Azerbaijan for bridging dialogue with Israel

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has publicly thanked Azerbaijan for facilitating recent diplomatic talks between Türkiye and Israel.

While speaking during a press briefing at the closing ceremony of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Fidan responded to a question from Baku TV, commending Azerbaijan’s constructive role in bringing the two sides together, Caliber.Az reports via local media. 

“Azerbaijan is a brotherly country. We thank it for hosting the [meeting between Türkiye and Israel],” Fidan stated. “The meeting mainly focused on clarifying technical matters. If necessary, a similar meeting will be arranged again.”

The remarks came days after officials from Türkiye and Israel held a meeting in Baku on April 9, brokered by Azerbaijani mediation.   

Earlier, a high-ranking Israeli official confirmed that delegations from Türkiye and Israel held a meeting on April 9 in Azerbaijan to explore the creation of a deconfliction mechanism aimed at preventing accidental confrontations in Syria.

The official stated that Israel “made it unequivocally clear that any change in the deployment of foreign forces in Syria, in particular the establishment of Turkish bases in the Palmyra (Tadmor) area, is a red line.” The official emphasised that Israel expects Damascus to take responsibility for curbing such developments. 

By Naila Huseynova