Turkey’s New Envoy to Israel Presents Credentials to Herzog

Turkey’s new ambassador to Israel, the first in four years, presented his credentials to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. Şakir Özkan Torunlar was one of five ambassadors to be received by Herzog on Wednesday in a series of ceremonies at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, after the envoys from Australia, the Philippines, El Salvador, and South Korea.

“I am sure that we will all continue strengthening the relations between our countries from a place of mutual respect, hand in hand, for the sake of a better and more promising future for our peoples and our region,” Herzog said after accepting Torunlar’s credentialing letter. Herzog also publicly invited his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to visit him in Israel. Herzog visited Turkey at Erdoğan’s invitation last year, as relations between Israel and Turkey began to thaw. Israel’s ambassador to Turkey, Irit Lillian, presented her credentials to Erdoğan last month.

Torunlar, who most recently was Turkey’s ambassador to India, previously served as Turkey’s consul general in Jerusalem, where he mostly served the Palestinian community. In his introductory speech to Herzog, Torunlar said it is important to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount.