Erdogan Hot Air: Turkey Not Cutting Trade Ties

Arutz Sheva ^ | 6/9/11 | Gavriel Queenann

[Eleutheria5]

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarified Tuesday that his government has not suspended economic ties with Israel, despite a cessation of military and high-level diplomatic contacts.

"Trade ties, military ties regarding defence industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures," Erdogan had bombastically told reporters in Ankara on Monday.

It was later reported by the Wall Street Journal that a spokesman for Erdogan said the prime minister had been referring in his remarks only to trade in defense goods, and not to trade in general - playing the contradiction off as a 'translation error' despite uniformity in reporting in the Turkish and international media.

Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Monday that Ankara would do nothing "for now" to change its economic relationship with Israel.

According to the WSJ report, the halt in trade will only apply to commercial ties between the Turkish government and army with Israel, which mainly involve Israeli security exports. Such deals are estimated to be worth several million dollars a year – a tiny fracture of Israeli exports to Turkey which totaled $13 billion in 2010.

A Turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity said, "Erdogan cannot suspend all commercial ties even if he wanted to. With all due respect, Turkey is a democracy and Mr. Erdogan cannot tell businessmen where they should work, not unless the Turkish parliament declares Israel an enemy state, and there is no such proposal on the table."

Additionally, Defense Ministry Diplomatic-Security Bureau head Amos Gilad told Israel Radio Tuesday that Turkey has not frozen military ties with Israel, either. Gilad noted Israel's military attache in Ankara was working as normal and had not been asked to leave.

[Eleutheria5]

So now the war lineup is, So much Hizbollah in Lebanon as isn't busy killing Syrians, Iran for nuclear purposes, Egypt and Hamas in Aza. I don't think they'll go for it, even with a recognized Pali state attacking Jews in J&S and engaging IDF on a third front. Egypt couldn't do it even with help from other major Middle-eastern countries in '48, 67 and '73. They certainly won't be the only major land force this time around. Humiliation risk would be too great.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Eleutheria5.

"Trade ties, military ties regarding defence industry ties, we are completely suspending them. This process will be followed by different measures," Erdogan had bombastically told reporters in Ankara on Monday. It was later reported by the Wall Street Journal that a spokesman for Erdogan said the prime minister had been referring in his remarks only to trade in defense goods, and not to trade in general -- playing the contradiction off as a 'translation error' despite uniformity in reporting in the Turkish and international media. Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan said on Monday that Ankara would do nothing "for now" to change its economic relationship with Israel.