Turkish foreign minister arrives in Palestine

JERUSALEM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday arrived in the Palestinian city of Ramallah ahead of his landmark visit to Israel.

The plane carrying Cavusoglu landed at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv where he was welcomed by Israeli officials.

This will be the first time in 15 years a Turkish foreign minister is paying an official visit to Israel as the two countries attempt to mend ties.

Cavusoglu made his next stop at the West Bank city of Ramallah and visited the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

He will chair the second meeting of the Joint Committee of the Palestinian and Turkish Foreign Ministries which was established in 2010.

Cavusoglu is also expected to hold talks with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Following his meetings in Palestine, the Turkish foreign minister will pay an official visit to Israel on Wednesday and hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on bilateral relations and regional and international matters.