Erdogan to meet Netanyahu in New York next week: Reports

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Sep 2023 20:17
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Relations between "Israel" and Turkey had been strained for over a decade before they reached an agreement to restore normalcy in their relationship last year.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks during a press conference at the end of the G20 Summit, in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Sept.10, 2023 (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

According to Israeli sources, as cited by The Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to hold a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York next week.

The sources mentioned that a date has not been confirmed yet for the postponed meeting, originally planned for July.

Netanyahu is anticipated to arrive in the US on Tuesday.

Netanyahu had to postpone his uncommon journey to Turkey due to the need for a pacemaker installation.

This visit would have marked his inaugural trip to Turkey and a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship as both nations aim to move past years of strained relations.

Relations between "Israel" and Turkey had been strained for over a decade before they reached an agreement to restore normalcy in their relationship last year.

They had been regional allies until 2010 when an Israeli commando operation on a Turkish ship heading to Gaza triggered a deterioration in their relations.

On August 17, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's office announced that "Israel" and Turkey decided to restore full diplomatic ties and will appoint ambassadors.

On May 25, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu boldly stated that "Turkey's diplomatic thaw with Israel will help the Palestinians."

"We believe that normalization of our ties will have a positive impact on peaceful resolution of the conflict," he added, controversially calling the Israeli occupation of Palestine a "conflict" and yet again claiming that the signing of accords would better the situation for the oppression Palestinians.