Israel announced on Wednesday the full restoration of diplomatic relations with Turkey and the return of ambassadors to both countries. “It was decided to raise the level of ties between the two countries to full diplomatic relations and return ambassadors and consuls-general to the two countries,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement.
“The restoration of relations with Turkey is a major asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel,” he added.
In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu immediately made it clear that Turkey “would not abandon the Palestinian cause.”
Strained relationships in the past.
Bilateral relations between Israel and Ankara were strained in 2010 with the Mavi Marmara affair, when Israeli forces launched a deadly assault on this Turkish ship trying to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave under Israeli blockade.
The two countries then withdrew their ambassadors in 2018 after the deaths of Palestinian protesters in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, has often criticized Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
Israel and Turkey have recently welcomed a turning point in their relations, notably President Isaac Herzog’s March visit to Turkey, the first by an Israeli head of state since 2007 to this country.
Turkish diplomat chief Mevlüt Cavusoglu paid a rare visit to Jerusalem in late May as part of this diplomatic thaw.
Source: BFM TV
