Turkey apologizes for downing Russian jet last year, restores ties with Israel

On Monday, Turkey restored full diplomatic relations with Israel, a former ally estranged for six years, and apologized to Russia for shooting down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border last November. There are financial reasons for both acts of rapprochement: Restoring ties with Israel cleared the way for natural gas deals that will move gas from Israel to Turkey, and from Turkey to Europe; and Russian President Vladimir Putin had demanded the apology before he would consider lifting sanctions on the import of Turkish goods and exports of Russian tourists to Turkey.

Last Nov. 24, Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian Su-24 in the mountainous Turkish-Syria border area. The pilot was killed, and a Russian marine was shot dead in a helicopter rescue attempt. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent Putin a letter apologizing for the downing and informing "the family of the deceased Russian pilot that I share their pain and to offer my condolences to them," according to a statement from Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that "the letter states, in particular, that Russia is a friend to Turkey and a strategic partner, with which the Turkish authorities would not wish to spoil relations."

Turkish-Israeli ties were greatly strained after Israel launched a military raid in 2010 on Turkish aid ship the Mavi Marmara, en route to Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists. Erdogan has since alienated Europe over his hardline on Syrian refugees and increasingly authoritarian policies, the U.S. over Turkey's attacks on Kurdish fighters aiding the U.S. to battle the Islamic State, and Iran by demanding the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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"Turkey had been going through a deep sense of isolation for the past few years, having switched from its famous 'zero problems with neighbors' policy to a place where they had no neighbors without problems,” Asli Aydintasbas at the European Council on Foreign Relations tells The New York Times. "This was the loneliest point in the history of the republic — Qatar and Saudi Arabia looking like the government's only real friends." Erdogan is also dealing with a domestic insurgency and economic downturn, she added. "At the core of the decision to mend ties with Israel and Russia is an existential need for survival."