Israel and Turkey will soon reappoint ambassadors to each other’s countries and restore full diplomatic ties, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Wednesday.
Relations between the two nations were downgraded back in 2018 after Israeli forces killed some 60 Palestinians during protests at the Gaza border.
Ankara, at the time, condemned the heavy-handed treatment of peaceful demonstrators by Israel.
Israel and Turkey, once close regional allies, will exchange ambassadors again, rebuilding diplomatic ties after a four-year chill in relations. https://t.co/fjP0iDtVby
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) August 17, 2022
A statement released by the premier’s office, following talks between Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said:
“It was decided to once again upgrade the level of the relations between the two countries to that of full diplomatic ties and to return ambassadors and consuls general.”
The normalization would, among other things, help “strengthen regional stability,” the statement added.
Israeli Prime Minister Lapid was also quoted as describing the move as “important economic news for the citizens of Israel.”
As "Israel's" crimes against #Gazans and the people of #Palestine escalate, #Turkey's Erdogan opts for the return of full diplomatic representation between #Ankara and the settler-colonial regime, revealing where his priorities truly lie. pic.twitter.com/LSmElOhV4x
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 17, 2022
With the normalization of relations having been in the pipeline for some time, President Erdogan earlier noted that restoring ties with Israel would allow Ankara to “help our Palestinian brothers.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the press in Ankara that his ministry was already looking for the right candidate to become the country’s ambassador to Israel.
Following a visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March and subsequent visits by foreign ministers, Israel announced the reopening of its trade office in Istanbul. The two countries have also signed an aviation agreement, which allows Israeli airlines to fly to Turkey.
Israel and Turkey agreed to restore diplomatic ties on Wednesday, with Ankara saying the decision should not be interpreted as Turkey 'giving up on the Palestinian cause'.https://t.co/BcRZe117SY
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) August 17, 2022
In recent years, Israel has been making concerted efforts to normalize its traditionally strained relations with some Muslim nations.
2020 saw the signing of the so-called Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Similar accords between Israel, Bahrain, and Morocco followed soon thereafter.
That same year, Turkey also began its attempts to normalize relations with other regional powers, such as Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
(RT, PC, SOCIAL)
