Israel and Turkey have established a mechanism to prevent future crises, President Isaac Herzog said Thursday, a day after arriving in Ankara on a landmark visit that ended 14 years of "something of a drought" in the two countries relationship.
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It is "an important visit with diplomatic and historic aspects," Herzog, who was accompanied by his wife Michal, said. "Our history has known ups and downs. In recent years, it suffered from not-so-simple moments … [But] there was a real dialogue, we went into details, some of which have operational implications."
The Israeli president was invited by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Jerusalem and Ankara move toward turning a new page in their troubled relationship.
"The process will be examined according to the reality on the ground," Herzog continued. "There will be mutual respect. A mechanism is in place to deal with crises that could occur. It is a process that is free of misconceptions and reflects a correlation of interests."
Herzog called the visit "a message of hope" and lauded the Abraham Accords for "creating great possibilities."
"A new infrastructure has been laid for ties between the two countries," he said.
On Wednesday, the president and his wife visited a memorial for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of modern Turkey. Herzog also held a meeting with Erdogan, followed by a press conference.
Erdogan said, "I believe this visit will be a turning point in relations between Israel and Turkey," adding that "bolstering ties with Israel is of great value to our country."
He added that the two talked about regional issues and that the "near term will offer opportunities for regional and bilateral cooperation."
Herzog said, "The baggage of the past never disappears of its own accord, but we – our two peoples, our two countries – are choosing to embark on a journey of trust and respect, which will include an in-depth dialogue in all fields, and I thank you for the in-depth discussion we just held. We are choosing to look forward together."
Once close relations allies, relations between Israel and Turkey soured in 2010, following the deadly raid on the Marmara flotilla, which attempted to breach the maritime blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. In June 2016, the two countries said they would normalize relations, a move driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over security risks in the Middle East, but diplomatic ties remain frosty, at best. The relationship frayed greatly under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is an outspoken critic of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.
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