Gantz heads to Turkey in first visit by defense chief in a decade

By Emanuel Fabian

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

26 October 2022, 6:56 pm Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (left) during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, October 12, 2022, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz (right) at a conference in Rishon LeZion, October 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys; Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Defense Minister Benny Gantz takes off for Turkey for a first official visit, the first by a defense chief in over a decade, his office says.

Gantz is slated to meet his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, tomorrow morning, according to a schedule published by his office.

The planned meeting will mark another step in a year-long process that has seen the countries inch back toward full diplomatic relations after over a decade of frayed and frozen ties.

A defense official tells the Walla news site that the trip will likely not see any weapon sale deals being signed between the sides.