Israel’s Chief of Staff, Shaul Mofaz, arrived in Turkey Thursday night for a short visit, during which he met his Turkish counterpart Huseyin Kivrikoglu and Turkish Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu, said reports.
Cakmakoglu emphasized the friendly bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel and expressed hope that the visit might contribute to long-lasting peace in the Middle East, according to Haaretz newspaper on Friday.
Some of the issues that were to be discussed were a proposed arms deal between the two countries, including one to upgrade dozens of Turkish M-60 Patton tanks.
The deal, said the paper, is estimated to be worth millions of dollars in is important to improve the Israeli military industry’s perilous economic situation.
Mofaz will also discuss the continuation of joint army exercises, which have been on the rise lately. Approximately one month ago, the United States Air Force held a three-way exercise with Turkey and Israel, in Turkey.
Towards the end of the year, a three way naval exercise is planned, the third of it’s kind in the past few years, said the paper – Albawaba.com
