Restore Diplomatic Relations With Israel, Turkish Foreign Minister Ensures Ankara Continues To Support Palestine

JAKARTA - Turkey and Israel will re-appoint ambassadors to each other, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu said on Wednesday, marking a milestone in the two countries' efforts to normalize diplomatic relations.

"Steps that we will take to normalize relations include the reappointment of ambassadors. At the press conference we held with (Israeli Prime Minister Yair) Lapid in this hall, we made a statement that we are starting the work of appointing an ambassador," he said. in a press conference as reported by Daily Sabah August 18.

"As a result of these efforts, positive steps have come from Israel. Of course, we, as Turkey, have decided to appoint an ambassador to Israel, to Tel Aviv," he continued.

The senior diplomat said the process would start after the two countries presented the names of the ambassadors.

He further explained that the decision to restore full diplomatic relations with Israel after a decade of tensions did not mean Turkey would abandon its support for Palestine.

"We are not giving up on the Palestinian cause," he stressed.

"It is important that our message is conveyed directly through the ambassador (on the Palestinian issue)," he said.

In May, Cavuşoğlu visited Israel, the first by a Turkish foreign minister in 15 years.

Separately, Israel and Turkey have decided to restore full diplomatic ties, will send ambassadors to their respective countries following a steady improvement in ties, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid also said on Wednesday.

"Improving ties will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability," read a statement issued following a conversation between PM Lapid and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The two countries expelled each other's ambassadors in 2018 over the killing of 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces, during protests at the Gaza border against the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Turkey in March, followed by a second foreign minister's visit, helped warm relations after more than a decade of tension.