Israeli Economy Minister visits Turkey for 1st time since 2019

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The Minister of Economy and Industry of the Israeli occupation government, Orna Barbivai, arrived in Turkey on Tuesday on the first visit after the severing of relations in 2009.

Barbivai is scheduled to meet her Turkish counterparts in Ankara, namely Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank and Trade Minister Mehmet Mus.

Israel News 24 quoted the Minister of Economy and Industry as saying that "upgrading economic and commercial cooperation between Turkey and Israel will strengthen relations between the two countries and contribute to regional stability."

Barbivai said that promoting the joint economic conference for the first time in 13 years is an important milestone in increasing "the volume of trade and creating job opportunities," and it is "an integral part of the fabric of the economic agreements that Israel is working to promote in its environment," she added.

It is worth noting that the visit of the Israeli minister comes in the wake of the announcement of the reopening of the economic attaché's office in Istanbul and the appointment of Matan Safran as the economic attaché of the Economic & Trade Mission to Turkey.

The meeting between Barbivai and the Turkish Minister of Industry and Technology aims to discuss closer cooperation in the technological field, expanding cooperation in the field of innovations in the hi-tech industry and cooperation in the field of small and medium businesses, as well as inviting Turkish delegations to visit "Israel," including retail networks.

Last August and after years of strained relations between Turkey and the Israeli occupation, Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced that his government will restore full diplomatic ties with Ankara.

Last July, Turkey and "Israel" signed a bilateral aviation agreement to multiply direct flights between the two entities as part of the normalization efforts after years of strained relations. This marked the first agreement since 1951, according to Israeli media. 

In March, Israeli occupation’s President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara and met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the first visit by an Israeli president since 2007.

Ahead of his trip, Herzog told reporters that "We will not agree on everything, and the relationship between Israel and Turkey has certainly known ups and downs and not-so-simple moments in recent years."

"But we shall try to restart our relations and build them in a measured and cautious manner, and with mutual respect between our states," he added.