Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen (Kulanu) said on Tuesday he is meeting with his ministry's foreign trade manager to reduce the trade deficit with Turkey. Interviewed by Radio Darom, Cohen said it's impossible that the Turks are working to finance Hamas, acting against Israel in the political arena and conducting economic relations with Israel.
Against the backdrop of word by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that he would look at severing economic and commercial ties with Israel, Cohen said, "The Turks have much more to lose from the cooling of economic relations with the State of Israel." He concluded, "And with all due respect to this issue Erdogan can not enjoy the best of both worlds."