ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday received Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz for talks in the capital Ankara.
The Turkish presidency gave no further details about the closed-door meeting, which was held at the presidential complex. Earlier, Gantz met with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar to discuss bilateral relations and security issues.
Türkiye and Israel have been taking steps to normalize the strained relations for the past two years, and in August, the countries agreed to restore full diplomatic ties and reappoint ambassadors and consuls general after a four-year hiatus. The development of relations between Türkiye and Israel will facilitate finding solutions to contested issues, the Turkish defense minister said on Thursday.
“We believe that increasing our bilateral cooperation and dialogue will also facilitate the resolution of some issues on which we have disagreements, particularly Palestine,” Hulusi Akar said at a news conference with his Israeli counterpart Gantz in the capital Ankara. Gantz’s visit to Türkiye is significant in terms of its being the first by an Israeli defense minister in over a decade. “Türkiye and Israel are important actors in our region. At the same time, we have serious ties and common values between Türkiye and Israel, both historically and culturally. –Agencies
