Israeli-Turkish defense ministers meet for 1st time since 2010

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of the founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara, Trkiye, on Oct. 27, 2022. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Trkiye on Thursday for the first meeting between the two countries' defense ministers since 2010 after years of strain in bilateral ties. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Trkiye on Thursday for the first meeting between the two countries' defense ministers since 2010 after years of strain in bilateral ties.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with Gantz in the capital Ankara, Trkiye's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Turkish-Israeli relations were 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.

The two countries, however, have been working to mend their ties this year.

In August, Trkiye and Israel decided to reappoint ambassadors, four years after they expelled each other's envoy after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians protesting on the Gaza border against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018.

"I look forward to productive discussions on ways to promote security, stability and peace in the Middle East and East-Med (Mediterranean) regions," Gantz tweeted on Wednesday ahead of his visit.

"A visit at this level will be the first after so many years. We will evaluate the general situation. Our policies and opinions are certain. Trkiye is following a very transparent policy. We will explain these," Akar told reporters on Monday.

Gantz will also meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later in the day.