BF-FieldManual-FEB13 -3.pdf - Bertelsmann Foundation

commissions; and encouraging Ankarato show contrition in a similar vein toErdogan’s apology in 2011 for the masskilling of Kurds in the 1930s. At thegrassroots level, the US and the EU couldprovide support and funding for localcivil society groups, NGOs and businessventures in Armenia and Turkey that areworking towards reconciliation. 446. Create a favorable environmentto facilitate a Turkish-Israelirapprochement:The rising instability in the MiddleEast and the continuing civil war inSyria create a pragmatic opportunityfor Turkey and Israel to put aside theirdifferences. Both countries share a clearinterest in preventing the Syrian conflictfrom spilling over to their territory, andshare the desire not to see Assad’schemical weapons arsenal falling intothe wrong hands. The consequences ofa rapprochement between Ankara andTel Aviv would be significant not only forthe region, but also for the EU and theUS. It would allow Turkey to revert to itsposition of regional broker and mediatebetween the Israelis and Palestinians—arole that was taken up by MohamedMorsi’s government in Egypt duringthe recent bombing of Gaza; 45 therapprochement could bring somestability to the Middle East and helpcreate broader diplomatic coalitionsover Iran and Syria; and it would improveTurkey’s image in the US. Thus, the USand the EU need to take all possible stepsto create favorable terrain for a Turkish-Israeli normalization process. Importantmeasures could include holding backchanneltalks with both states on Syria’sfuture, encouraging Israel to involveTurkey in the development of offshoregas fields in the eastern Mediterranean,promoting joint Turkish-Israeli businessprojects, advocating Turkey and Israel toavoid excessive rhetoric, and supportingthe creation of a bilateral commissionto determine reparations for theflotilla incident. 46 6 3Turkey