Israel, Turkey restore full diplomatic ties, to ambassadors

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid speaks during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on August 14, 2022. MAYA Alleruzzo POOL AFP JERUSALEM - Israel and T rkiye have agreed to restore full diplomatic ties and will return ambassadors and consuls general to each other, the Israeli prime minister said Wednesday.

The resumption of relations with T rkiye is an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement issued by his office.

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According to the statement from the prime minister's office, the details of the move were agreed on Tuesday night in a phone call between Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal.

The statement said that upgrading relations will contribute to deepening relations between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability.

The move comes after the steady improvement in Israeli-Turkish relations in the past months, including Lapid's phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July and Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to T rkiye in March, which marked the first of its kind by a senior Israeli official since 2008.

Israel and T rkiye formalized their relations in 1949, but the ties were strained in 2010 after an Israeli-led flotilla was attacked by a Turkish-led flotilla sailing to the besieged Gaza Strip.

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