Senior Turk Officials In Israel Before Herzog’s Ankara Trip

Web Desk — The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that a team of senior officials from Turkey will visit Israel ahead of President Herzog’s planned trip to Ankara.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal and Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy adviser Ibrahim Kalin will lead the delegation on Feb. 16-17, the foreign ministry said, adding the officials will also meet with Palestinian officials, Reuters reported.

The two countries expelled their ambassadors in 2018 and relations have remained tense, but Ankara has since launched a charm offensive to repair strained ties with several regional countries.

The two countries are also at odds over policies in the east Mediterranean, namely energy resources. Trade and commercial ties between Turkey and Israel remain intact despite frequent insults and accusations.
Ankara has also made overtures to rivals Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as part of its charm offensive. Despite a pickup in cooperation with the UAE, Egypt’s and Saudi Arabia’s efforts have so far yielded little positive results.