Media: Russia is unhappy with Israeli-Turkish reconciliation

Baku. 19 February. REPORT.AZ/ Russia is dissatisfied with Israel's pending rapprochement agreement with Turkey. Russia is unhappy with the emerging détente between the two Middle Eastern nations, and made its reservations known to Israeli officials when diplomats met in Moscow Thursday to discuss regional developments, Report informs Haaretz newspaper writes.

A key Turkish demand for reconciliation has been for Ankara to be allowed generous access to the Gaza Strip to deliver humanitarian aid and develop the impoverished enclave’s infrastructure. The deal may also involve new agreements by which Israel will become a key supplier of natural gas to Turkey.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold that his government, which has seen increased tensions with Ankara over the fighting in Syria, is unhappy with those developments: Moscow does not wish to see Turkey gain a foothold in Palestinian affairs, and doesn’t want to lose its status as Ankara’s main gas supplier.

Gold was in Russia Thursday, seeking to persuade Moscow not to go ahead with the delivery of S-300 anti-missile systems to Tehran.