Turkey’s Erdogan, Israel’s Lapid Discuss Bilateral Relations, Region After Agreeing To Restore Diplomatic Ties

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke by telephone on Wednesday night, hours after the announcement that the two countries will again exchange ambassadors following an agreement to restore full diplomatic ties. Erdogan and Lapid emphasized during the conversation the “great importance of Israel and Turkey for maintaining regional stability,” according to a statement from Lapid’s office. Turkey last recalled its ambassador to Israel in 2018, after the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and over cross-border hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians; the relations between the two countries has been on-again-off-again for the last two decades. “Upgrading relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade, and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability,” Lapid said in a statement. “I commend the renewal of full diplomatic relations with Turkey – an important development that we’ve been leading for the past year, which will encourage greater economic relations, mutual tourism, and friendship between the Israeli and Turkish peoples. Good neighborly relations and the spirit of partnership in the Middle East are important for us all. Members of all faiths – Muslims, Jews, and Christians – can and must live together in peace,” said a statement from Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who visited Ankara in March in a first step toward normalizing relations.