Türkiye, Israel on same page over normalisation of ties: Cavusoglu

Türkiye and Israel have agreed on steps to strengthen and normalise ties during Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's visit to Israel.

The meeting is the first visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Israel in nearly 15 years.
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The meeting is the first visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Israel in nearly 15 years.

Türkiye and Israel are on the same page regarding normalisation and revitalisation of ties, the Turkish foreign minister has said.

"We agreed to bring new synergy to our bilateral relations in many fields and establish different mechanisms from now on," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in West Jerusalem on Wednesday.

Cavusoglu, who spoke after one-on-one and delegation-level talks, said Türkiye-Israel trade volume surpassed $8 billion last year and the figures of this year’s first quarter are “very promising.”

“We are determined to increase our trade volume and economic co-operation. It is mutually beneficial,” he said.

He added that Istanbul was the most popular city for Israeli tourists, adding: “So, we are hoping to receive more tourists in different parts of Türkiye.”

For his part, Lapid said Israel and Türkiye are launching a new framework to strengthen bilateral relations at various levels, including the economic front.

During the talks, he said, “we agreed to relaunch our joint economic committee, and start working on a new civil aviation agreement between our two countries.”

READ MORE: 13 key moments in Turkish-Israeli relations

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Türkiye's commitment to the Palestinians

He called the dialogue “fruitful and honest” to “initiate a new framework to improve our relations that will benefit not only us, but our children for years to come.”

Earlier in the day, Cavusoglu visited the Holocaust Remembrance Museum "Yad Vashem" in West Jerusalem, and laid a wreath in the museum hall.

This is the first visit by a Turkish foreign minister to Israel in nearly 15 years.

Cavusoglu's engagements in Israel were followed by a visit to Palestine on Tuesday, where he met President Mahmoud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

Cavusoglu stated Türkiye's commitment to the Palestinians and their independence. 

He said that he discussed Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories with both parties, and said "we believe that the two-state solution with UN parameters is the only solution for a durable peace."

In March, Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara and met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

READ MORE: Türkiye's stance on Palestine will not change: Cavusoglu

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