A possible agreement between Israel and Turkey on the normalization of their relations reflects Ankara's desire to diversify gas supplies in the wake of the deterioration of ties with Moscow, according to Russian political analyst Victor Nadein-Rayevsky.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Victor Nadein-Rayevsky, a senior fellow with the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations, said that a potential Israeli-Turkish deal on the normalization of bilateral relations mirrors Ankara's interests in the diversification of their gas supply after the deterioration of ties with Moscow due to Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane in late November.

At the same time, Nadein-Rayevsky claimed that the possible agreement would not damage Russia's relations with Israel.

"Against the background of deterioration of relations with Russia, Turkey actively started to search for new sources of gas in order to maximally replace Russian blue fuel," he said.

According to him, the signing of the agreement, which may include a clause on the construction of a gas pipeline between Israel and Turkey, will stipulate hefty investments.

"Billions of dollars will have to be invested in this project," Nadein-Rayevsky said, adding that the agreement has yet to be signed.

He described the possible signing of an agreement between Ankara and Tel Aviv as part of Turkey's strategic policy.

"The goal is to minimize the use of Russian gas and reduce its purchases, which amount for about 60 percent Turkey's gas consumption," he pointed out.
His remarks came after Israeli media reported that Israel and Turkey had prepared a draft agreement on the normalization of bilateral relations, which includes clauses on the return of the country's ambassadors and the supply of natural gas.

Earlier this week, top Israeli and Turkish officials met for secret talks in Switzerland to hammer out an agreement on restoring relations that collapsed in 2010.

At the time,10 people, including nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American, were killed when Israeli commandos raided a ship carrying activists participating in the 'Gaza Freedom Flotilla', a humanitarian project. The 8-ship flotilla was stopped from succeeding in its attempt to break Israel's economic blockade of the Gaza Strip in order to deliver 10,000 metric tons of goods, including school supplies, building materials and two large electricity generators.
By Sputnik News