Book Launch: Turkish-Israeli Relations (1949-2010)

On Friday, June 24, 2011 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., GPoT Center launched Dr. Alon Liel and Mr. Can Yirik's book Turkish-Israeli Relations (1949-2010), a pictorial history of the bilateral relationship from its foundations to the present day.

After welcoming remarks by GPoT Center Director Dr. Mensur Akgün, GPoT Projects Officer / Researcher Mr. Can Yirik provided a comprehensive historical overview of the relationship as presented in the book, which is divided into four periods. Touching upon the inspiration behind the book, Dr. Alon Liel then related the background stories of a selection of the most illustrative photographs in the publication, including personal insight from his long and distinguished career in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Henri Barkey of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Program followed Dr. Liel with a telling analysis of the more recent history of the Turkish-Israeli relationship, particularly during the Justice and Development Party (AKP) period. The event ended with a lively question and answer session, moderated by Dr. Sylvia Tiryaki, Deputy Director of GPoT Center.