Improving Turkish-Israeli ties to strengthen regional stability: Top Israeli diplomat
Yair Lapid’s remarks come during his visit to Greek capital Athens
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias (not seen), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Yair Lapid and Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulidis (not seen) meet as part of the Trilateral summit held between Greek, Israeli and Greek Cypriot Foreign Ministers in Athens, Greece on April 5, 2022. ( Dimitris Kapantais - Anadolu Agency )
ANKARA
Improving Turkish-Israeli relations will strengthen regional stability, the Israeli foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Yair Lapid’s remarks came during his visit to the Greek capital Athens, where he arrived on Tuesday for a tripartite meeting among foreign ministers of Israel, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot administration.
Today, I met with a true friend of Israel, @PrimeMinisterGR. Greece and Israel are part of an important regional strategic alliance. We agreed to deepen and strengthen security and economic ties between our countries, and to continue to work in close cooperation. pic.twitter.com/UHzW6zy3Js
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid🟠 (@yairlapid) April 5, 2022
Referring to the "warming of relations" between Turkiye and Israel, Lapid said "it is a blessed chance whose time has come," according to a statement by Israel's Foreign Ministry.
“It also produces a great opportunity to deepen our ties and strengthen regional stability,” he also noted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier called the March 9 visit of his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog to the Turkish capital Ankara “a new turning point.”
Expressing his appreciation for Herzog's visit to Turkiye, Erdogan said strengthening the ties with Israel is of great importance for regional stability and peace as well as for the two countries.
He also underlined that Turkiye has the experience and capacity to implement big energy projects in the region, adding: “I expressed to Mr. President (Herzog) that we are ready to cooperate in projects to be carried out in the fields of energy and energy security. Recent developments in our region have once again demonstrated the importance of energy security.”
More recently, on April 1, Erdogan held a phone call with Herzog to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
