With détente in full force, Turkey to send ministers to Israel

Turkey will send two ministers to Israel in the near future in a bid to boost bilateral cooperation, the two countries announced in a joint statement Wednesday, following the first meeting between Jerusalem and Ankara officials in nearly seven years.

Turkish-Israeli political consultations were headed by the director-general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem, and his Turkish counterpart in Ankara.

“All pertinent bilateral issues were reviewed, and especially cooperation in areas such as energy, economy, culture and tourism,” the statement said.

“As a result, both sides have agreed to enhance cooperation on the said issues through exchanges of ministerial visits, high level business, academic and cultural delegations, starting with the upcoming visits of the Turkish minister of culture and tourism and the Turkish minister of economy to Israel.”

Both Jerusalem and Ankara “reaffirmed the importance of better Turkish-Israeli relations for the stability and the security of the region.”

Rotem was also scheduled to meet with members of Turkey’s Jewish community during his stay.

Last month, the respective ambassadors to both countries presented their credentials to presidents Reuven Rivlin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, marking a fresh start to relations between the two states after intense détente efforts following a deadly May 2010 incident that soured relations between Jerusalem and Ankara.

Ties were frozen following a raid by Israeli forces on a Gaza blockade-busting ship, the Mavi Marmara, in which 10 Turks were killed in a melee after they attacked IDF troops. Israel and Turkey had previously been close economic partners, including in the defense field.

A lengthy reconciliation process between the countries began in 2013 and an agreement was finally signed last summer.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.