In a bid to end six years of diplomatic impasse, Turkey and Israel have announced the names of ambassadors to Ankara and Tel Aviv as part of the reconciliation deal signed between the two countries on June 28. Ankara named Kemal Okem — a foreign-policy adviser to the Turkish prime minister — Turkey’s ambassador to Israel while Tel Aviv appointed Eitan Na’eh, the deputy ambassador to London, its new envoy to Ankara. Both veteran diplomats have served in crucial posts and are experts on Middle East issues.

Despite the expertise of both men, they will each face a difficult task since both are the first serving ambassadors after a six-year break in diplomatic relations. Relations between the two former regional allies deteriorated following a deadly attack by Israeli commandos on a humanitarian aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, bound for Gaza in May 2010.

Following the attack, Turkey set three conditions for Israel to fulfill before it would consider the full restoration of ties. They were — a formal apology, compensation to the families of the victims and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade. The apology came in 2013 and a compensation deal was signed between the two sides in June. As part of the deal, Israel agreed to pay $20 million in compensation. Although there is not yet agreement on the final condition concerning the lifting of the blockade on Gaza, Israel did agree to Turkey's humanitarian presence in Gaza.

Ankara is able to send humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli ports and to take part in infrastructure projects aimed at improving the conditions of Palestinians living there. Rather than a full lifting, it is an easing of the blockade. Another important point of the agreement is the cancelation of Turkish claims against IDF soldiers.

The normalization process could have moved faster after the June agreement; however, before the ink had dried on the deal, Turkey experienced a coup attempt on July 15. Following this, an operation in Syria was launched and then the Mosul operation began.

After several rounds of talks between the two states behind closed doors, Turkey and Israel have managed to come to this point. During the six-year break in relations between the two countries, there were domestic developments in both countries that had serious effects. The nations reached the point where there was nothing to be gained by turning a blind eye to cooperation if there is mutual interest. Therefore, pragmatism has been an important element in Turkish-Israeli relations. The rapprochement between the two countries marks the beginning of a new era that may have significant regional repercussions.

Syrian crisis

The Syrian crisis provides Turkey and Israel — both of which have for a long time witnessed a war on their borders — a good reason to engage in cooperation and seek each other’s support, particularly in the matter of intelligence. Given their military capabilities, political concerns and strategic interests, a “security-based” alliance between Turkey and Israel may be crucial for the Middle East, which has become more and more embroiled in conflicts.

Iranian expansion

Iran’s expansionist policy and its proxies in the region is another issue that may push Turkey and Israel to cooperate. Turkey’s rapprochement with Israel, its role in acting as a mediator for Palestinian cause and its close ties with Hamas are not things that make Tehran happy. Iran, which backs Hamas in Gaza, will not want to share its role with Turkey.

Armenian issue

The Israeli lobby in the US has always been supportive of Turkey in lobbying Congress against a 1915 Armenian Genocide resolution. In the past few years, due to strained relations between Turkey and Israel, the Jewish lobby has stayed neutral on the issue, something that was not in the interest of Ankara. Thus, one of the reasons for the normalization of relations could be the Armenian issue.

Relations with the US

Not only Turkish-Israeli normalization may secure the support of the Israeli lobby in the US but it may also pave the way for the improvement of relations between Ankara and Washington. With the election of Donald Trump who wants to have good relations with both Turkey and Israel, the normalization of ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv and Turkish-American relations may enter a new phase. Also, as a part of this process, Turkey has stopped vetoing Israeli participation in NATO activities — something that serves the interests of both Israel and the US.

Energy field

One of the most significant aspects of the normalization of relations between Israel and Turkey is the economic dimension of the cooperation between the two. The deal paves the way for future cooperation to exploit natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. In October, Israeli Energy and Water Resources Minister Yuval Steinitz visited Ankara and met his Turkish counterpart Berat Albayrak to discuss the idea of building a pipeline to supply Turkey with Israeli natural gas. Last week, the two countries reportedly held their first meeting to discuss technical details of the proposed natural gas pipeline project.

When taking into consideration all these interests, the rapprochement between two countries seems to be based on realpolitik and is expected to have great impact in other fields.

•Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes mainly on issues regarding Turkey’s relations with the Middle East. She can be reached on Twitter @SinemCngz