Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly for the first face-to-face talks between leaders of US allies since 2008, Lapid’s office said.
Israel-Turkey relations, long chilled amid disputes over the Palestinian cause, have warmed in recent months, with energy emerging as a key area of ​​cooperation. They are expected to exchange new ambassadors soon.
In addition to discussing energy, Lapid thanked Erdogan for the countries’ intelligence sharing and noted Israel’s demand for the return of four of its citizens — two of them soldiers — from the 2014 war, Lapid’s office said. have been missing in the Gaza Strip since
NATO member Turkey is hosting members of Hamas, the Palestinian movement that rules Gaza and is considered a terrorist group by Western countries. The relationship has often been a sticking point in Israel’s bids to rebuild ties.
Ankara, for its part, was angered by the 2010 clashes that killed 10 Turkish workers that began when Israeli marines stormed a ship trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
