Underscoring the deep roots of the relationship, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak visited Ankara Sunday, refusing to cancel the trip despite a severe diplomatic row that saw Ankara threaten to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv.

NATO's sole predominantly Muslim member and the Jewish state signed a landmark military cooperation accord in 1996, much to the ire of Arab countries and Iran, marking the outset of what was called "a strategic partnership".

The pact eased Israel's isolation in a hostile Arab neighbourhood, while Turkey gained an ally against Syria, then an arch-foe, and access to advanced military technolodgy.

In the first major projects after the accord, Israeli companies were awarded contracts, worth some 700 million dollars, to modernise about 100 Turkish F-4 and F-5 fighter jets, and sold Turkey rockets and electronic equipment.

In 2002, Israeli Military Industries won a 668-million-dollar tender to upgrade 170 M60 tanks, the delivery of which is scheduled to be completed in February, according to Turkey's defence industry agency.

Another ongoing deal, worth 183 million dollars, involves the manufacture of 10 unmanned aircraft and related surveillance equipment for the Turkish army in a joint venture led by Israel Aerospace Industries.

The project, launched in 2005, has been delayed amid technical snags and political tensions, with Turkish officials currently in Israel to test the drones.

Other deals have been concluded silently, with some defence experts estimating that in 2007 alone, military equipment accounted for 69 percent of the 2.6-billion-dollar bilateral trade volume.

Ankara, for its part, offered an opportunity for Israel's air force to train in a vast air space unavailabe in its own country, as part of joint drills in central Turkey.

The two armies have also jointly held naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea as well as search-and-rescue drills.

Turkey is also said to have allowed Israel access to its radars in monitoring Iranian and Iraqi air space, while other deals have involved the exchange of military students and expertise on chemical weapons protection.

In 1998, Turkey's alliance with Israel was seen as crucial to cajole Syria into expelling Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan from his long-time safe-haven in Damascus after Ankara threatened military action.

In 1999, search-and-rescue teams from the Israeli army were at the forefront of international efforts to rescue surviors from a devastating quake in northwestern Turkey, with one complex of prefabricated homes in the region named the "Israeli village".

Military cooperation was accompanied with boosted economic ties and a flurry of cultural contacts.

Turkey offered to ship water to Israel to relieve its chronic shortage, but the project proved too costly and was dropped in 2006.

The following year, the two sides announced plans to study the feasibility of a proposed multi-profile pipeline to carry water as well as oil and natural gas from Turkey's Mediterranean coast to southern Israel.

Initial signs of chilling ties came in 2002 when Turkey's then premier Bulent Ecevit called an Israeli offensive against the Palestinians "a genocide", but the tensions were quickly defused.

However Israel's war on the Gaza Strip last year marked a sharp downturn in relations as the Islamist-rooted government in Ankara launched an unprecedented barrage of criticism against the Jewish state.

Turkey's now-flourishing ties with Syria and close contacts with Iran have made its criticism even harder for Israel to swallow.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News