Turkish, Israeli presidents hold phone call after full diplomatic ties restored

ISTANBUL, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone call with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday over bilateral relations, according to a statement by Türkiye's presidential office.

The statement emphasized mutual satisfaction from strengthening diplomatic ties by the latest re-appointment of ambassadors following a four-year diplomatic chill between the two countries.

A new momentum to the diplomatic relations will be attained after the reinstatement of ambassadors, the statement said, adding Türkiye is ready to boost cooperation and dialogue with Israel while respecting the mutual concerns of both nations.

Regional issues covering mutual defense and the fight against terrorism were also discussed in the phone call, according to the statement.

The relations between Israel and Türkiye became strained in 2010 when a Turkish-led flotilla attempting to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip clashed with Israeli forces, leaving 10 Turks on board killed.

In 2018, Türkiye and Israel expelled each other's top diplomats amid a quarrel over the Israeli killing of 60 Palestinians during their protests against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Türkiye and Israel have been working to mend their ties in the past months, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Türkiye in March, the first of its kind by a senior Israeli official since 2008, and their talks on pipelining natural gas from Israel to Europe via Türkiye.