Peres’ invitation was extended in a congratulatory message to Gül on the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic. The message arrived at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Oct. 28, a day before the anniversary.
In his message, noting the importance he attaches to Israel’s relations with Turkey, Peres highlighted “historical aspects of the two countries’ relations which experience complications from time to time.” Extending his invitation to Gül, Peres underlined that “they have long wished for this visit to happen.”
Back in December, doctors had advised Gül to avoid flying for at least a month due to a recurring ear ailment, forcing him to shelve a planned visit to Israel which would have taken place in early 2009.
Despite considering Peres’ message and invitation “positive” for bilateral relations, diplomatic sources, who said that they have been working on arranging the visit, declined to elaborate on an exact date. Sources involved in the issue say that Ankara wants to see concrete developments regarding the months-long humanitarian tragedy in Gaza before Gül’s visit takes place.
Senior Turkish officials traditionally visit the Palestinian territories whenever they pay a visit to Israel. The absence of a national reconciliation between rival Palestinian groups poses another handicap for scheduling an exact date for Gül’s visit, sources note.
