ANKARA: Israel’s Ambassador to Türkiye Irit Lillian presented her credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, marking a new era after four years with the position unstaffed.
“A very emotional moment this afternoon as I presented my letter of credentials to the president,” Lillian, who had been serving as Israel’s charge d’affaires in Ankara, wrote on her Twitter account on Tuesday. “Looking forward to many more positive developments in the bilateral relations”.
The ceremony at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara marks the latest step in warming ties between Israel and Türkiye. Once close regional allies, relations between Israel and Türkiye have been strained for more than a decade, with Ankara having expelled Israel’s ambassador following a 2010 Israeli raid on an aid ship to Gaza, which killed 10 Turkish citizens.
Bilateral relations began to fray in 2008 following an Israeli military operation in Gaza. Relations then froze in 2010 after the deaths of 10 civilians following an Israeli raid on the Turkish Mavi Marmara ship, part of a flotilla trying to breach a blockade by carrying aid into the Gaza enclave.
A brief reconciliation lasted from 2016 until 2018, when Türkiye withdrew its ambassador and expelled Israel’s over the killing of Palestinians during a conflict with Gaza. Türkiye and Israel began improving relations with high-level visits this year including Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Ankara. –Agencies
