Erdoğan agrees with Israel's Herzog to improve relations

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has congratulated his counterpart from Israel, Isaac Herzog, on his inauguration in a phone conversation yesterday (July 12).

Turkey-Israel relations were of great importance for security and stability in the Middle East, Erdoğan told Herzog during the 40-minute phone call, according to a statement from the Presidency Communications Directorate.

That there is a high potential for cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly in energy, tourism and technology, said the president.

He stated that despite the pandemic, bilateral trade increased and that it was in their mutual interest to benefit from this potential.

Erdoğan further said that the international community expected a lasting and comprehensive two-state settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute within the framework of UN resolutions.

Herzog mentioned the call with Erdogan in a post on Twitter.

"I spoke a few hours ago with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who called to congratulate me on assuming my position as the President of the State of Israel.

"We both emphasized that Israeli-Turkish relations are of great importance for security and stability in the Middle East. We agreed on the continuation of dialogue to improve relations between our countries," he said.

The relations between the two countries have been tense since 2010, when Israel's military boarded an aid ship heading to Gaza and killed 10 activists. (VK)