Israel to resume direct flights to Türkiye: FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attend a joint press conference in Ankara, Trkiye, on Feb. 14, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)

ANKARA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israel will resume direct flights to Trkiye on Thursday as part of the normalization of bilateral relations, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday.

"Flights from Israel to Trkiye will resume in two days. Three of our main carriers will start flights," Cohen said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

"We will definitely warm the important relations between your important and beautiful country and Israel," he added.

The two sides discussed steps to take bilateral ties to the next phase, Cohen said, adding "we will restore bilateral relations to its former level."

Israel sent a 450-member rescue team on the first day of Trkiye's devastating earthquakes last week, which was followed by other teams and the establishment of a field hospital in the quake-hit region, the minister said.

Cohen promised to continue humanitarian assistance to Trkiye and conveyed deepest condolences to the victims.

Cavusoglu, for his part, said Israel was one of the first countries that sent support to Trkiye and thanked Israel for the assistance.

Israeli rescue teams were one of the "largest" on the ground and they provided "very serious support" to the emergency response, he said.

The relations between Israel and Trkiye became strained in 2010 when a Turkish-led flotilla attempting to break Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip clashed with Israeli forces, leaving 10 Turks on board killed.

The two countries have been working to mend their ties since last year, when Israeli President Isaac Herzog made an ice-breaking visit to Ankara, the first of its kind by an Israeli leader since 2008.

They also reappointed ambassadors in 2022, who were expelled by each other after Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinians during the protests on the Gaza border against the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) shakes hands with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during a joint press conference in Ankara, Trkiye, on Feb. 14, 2023. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)