Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Israel Talk for 1st Time in 13 Years

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Israel spoke by telephone in the first publicly acknowledged conversation in 13 years.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu placed the call on Thursday to Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, according to Lapid’s office. The purpose of the call was to inquire about Lapid’s health after he contracted the coronavirus. The government in Ankara did not acknowledge the call.

The conversation comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that talks were underway to have Israeli President Isaac Herzog visit Turkey. Erdogan also called Herzog earlier this month to offer his condolences on the death of his mother, Aura Herzog.