New Delhi

Following months of cordial relations, Turkiye and Israel announced on Wednesday that they would re-appoint their respective ambassadors, more than four years after they were first called back.

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After 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during demonstrations against the inauguration of the American embassy in Jerusalem on the Gaza border in 2018, the two regional nations removed their diplomats.

However, they have been making efforts to repair their long-broken relationship, with energy emerging as a crucial area for prospective cooperation.

According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the two nations have resolved differences to resume full diplomatic relations.

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Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Photo credits: Reuters

"It was decided to once again upgrade the level of the relations between the two countries to that of full diplomatic ties and to return ambassadors and consuls general," Lapid's office said in a statement following a conversation between the prime minister and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

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"Upgrading relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade, and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability," it added.

Following more than a decade of tense relations, President Isaac Herzog of Israel and both foreign ministers' visits to Turkiye in March worked to improve relations.

Both Turkiye and Israel reported that Erdogan and Lapid spoke on the phone on Wednesday, expressing their delight with the development of their relations and congratulating one another on their choice to select ambassadors.

Separate readouts from the two sides quoted Erdogan as saying that the appropriate steps to designate the ambassador would be taken as soon as feasible and Lapid as saying that the ties' development would result in successes in trade and tourism.

The appointment of ambassadors is one of the milestones in the normalisation of relations, according to Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister.

"Such a positive step came from Israel as a result of these efforts, and as Turkiye, we also decided to appoint an ambassador to Israel, to Tel Aviv," Cavusoglu said at a news conference in Ankara, adding Turkey was selecting someone.

Two years after the so-called Abraham Accords, which saw relations normalised between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco, the move was approved. It comes as Israel has attempted to strengthen relationships with regional nations.

In order to mend fences with bitter adversaries, Turkiye also launched a charm drive in 2020, reaching out to Egypt, the UAE, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Although officials claim that normalisation efforts with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are progressing well, efforts with Cairo have so far not generated much success.

(With inputs from agencies)

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