Israeli media: Lapid, Erdogan discuss security, economy
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Israeli media reveal a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in which they discussed security and economic cooperation.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Israeli media revealed today, Sunday, that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke for the first time with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thanked him for "thwarting attempts to harm Israelis" in Istanbul.
“The two leaders emphasized in their conversation that Israel-Turkey relations are very important to the security, economy, and stability of the Middle East," Lapid's office claimed in a statement.
Lapid and Erdogan both praised the two parties' new aviation agreement. They expressed hope for further progress in relations.
Earlier, the Israeli Ministry of Transport stated that "Israel" and Turkey will expand bilateral air traffic, under a new aviation agreement, noting that this agreement "is the first between them since 1951."
On his part, Erdogan urged Lapid not to agree to the Israeli government's approval of building new settlement units and preserving the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A statement issued by the Turkish presidency said, "During the call, Erdogan expressed his wishes that the Israeli government would stop building new settlement units and preserve the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque until the Israeli elections."
Read next: Lapid to visit Turkey despite political crisis in "Israel"
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that "Turkey and Israel have begun work to restore diplomatic representation between them to the level of ambassadors."
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
