Israel–Turkey relations

The Organization of Turkic States will play a strategic role in regional transportation, supply chain and energy security, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on March 16.

"Thanks to the southern gas corridor, the backbone of which is TANAP, Turkic states have become a key player in Europe's energy security," Erdoğan said at a gathering of the Organization of Turkic States.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Thursday during a session at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, that "we will not go to war with Turkey."

He said he still believes it's possible to resolve Greece's differences with Turkey by speaking with Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Greece in the last week of February according to a report in Hellas Journal website on Saturday, quoting diplomatic sources in Washington.

According to the report, Blinken's visit is set for February 20-21 and the American secretary of state will take part in the Greece-US strategic dialogue.

Turkey's ambassador to Israel, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, presented his credentials to President Isaac Herzog on Jan. 11, the latest move in rebuilding ties after years of crisis between the two countries.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said that his visit to Ankara and talks with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar have opened the doors for cooperation between Türkiye and Israel, as he was about to depart from Türkiye.

Turkish and Israeli defense ministers will hold a rare face-to-face meeting as the latter will pay a visit to the Turkish capital tomorrow as part of the ongoing normalization process between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw.

Lapid's office said he would travel to New York on Monday night, ahead of an address to the General Assembly on Thursday.

A source said the meeting with Erdogan would take place on Tuesday.

A Turkish warship docked in Israel over the weekend for the first time since 2010, amid improving ties between the two countries, officials and witnesses said on Sept. 4. 

The TCG Kemalreis frigate was docked Sunday in the northern port of Haifa, headquarters of the Israeli navy, AFP reporters said.

Türkiye's reconciliation efforts with Israel will in no way diminish Ankara's support for the cause of the Palestinians, the Turkish leader said on Aug. 23. 

A Turkish Consulate employee outside its premises in Jerusalem, August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/ATEF SAFADI

The two countries pledged to appoint ambassadors and consul generals, announcement that follows normalisation attempts by both sides in recent months involving high-level visits from senior officials.