Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were quick to call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, to congratulate him on his electoral victory, expressing their hope for further deepening relations between the two countries. The calls from Israel were ahead of Washington and some European capitals.
Since his nomination, Herzog has played a key role in the rehabilitation of bilateral relations. In fact, Erdogan had called Herzog to congratulate him on his nomination in July 2021, marking an important step in restoring ties between Israel and Turkey. Herzog traveled to Turkey in March 2022 on a first official visit of an Israeli president in over a decade.
A statement issued by Herzog’s office on Monday said the Israeli and Turkish presidents spoke about “the importance of working together to protect stability, advancing regional peace and deepening the fruitful cooperation between the two countries.” Both leaders expressed their hope that they will meet soon, the statement read.
A statement issued by Netanyahu’s office said that the two leaders had agreed to continue strengthening bilateral relations and “bring them to new heights.” Erdogan thanked Israel again for its search and rescue assistance after the earthquake that struck Turkey in February. Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to expand Israel’s peace circle and deepen ties with Turkey.
