Sept 21, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in person for the first time on Tuesday at the United Nations, in a milestone as two countries have been working to repair relations long strained by disputes over policies toward the Palestinians.
Speaking to
reporters after the UN General Assembly in New York, Erdogan said he and
Netanyahu had agreed on mutual visits in the coming period, and that energy
cooperation would ramp up after these.
“At the
moment, our total trade volume is $9.5 billion. We agreed to raise this $9.5
billion trade volume to a minimum of $15 billion in the first phase,” he said.
Erdogan
added that he and Netanyahu had discussed forming a mechanism between their
countries, including some ministries, to increase cooperation in energy,
tourism, and technology.
Ties between the former allies unraveled after Israel’s forces killed 10 Turks in a 2010 raid on a pro-Palestinian activist ship that tried to breach its blockade on the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Palestinian militant group Hamas proscribed in the West.
Ankara
expelled Israel’s ambassador, a move reversed in 2016 but repeated two years
later over the killing of dozens of Palestinians who took part in violent
protests at the Gaza border. Israel, which had complained at Ankara’s hosting
of Hamas leaders, reciprocally expelled Turkey’s envoy in 2018.
A visit to Turkey by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March 2022, followed by visits by both foreign ministers, helped the thaw, but a planned visit by Netanyahu in July was postponed due to the Israeli premier’s health issues.
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