By Diyar Guldogan and Sarp Ozer
ANKARA (AA) – The development of relations between Türkiye and Israel will facilitate finding solutions to contested issues, the Turkish defense minister said on Thursday.
"We believe that increasing our bilateral cooperation and dialogue will also facilitate the resolution of some issues on which we have disagreements, particularly Palestine," Hulusi Akar said at a news conference with his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz in the capital Ankara.
Gantz's visit to Türkiye is significant in terms of being the first by an Israeli defense minister in over a decade.
"Türkiye and Israel are important actors in our region. At the same time, we have serious ties and common values between Türkiye and Israel, both historically and culturally.
"I would like to say that as Türkiye, the development of our relations and cooperation with Israel, especially in areas such as defense, security and energy, will lead to important developments regarding regional peace and stability, and will make significant contributions," the Turkish defense chief said.
During the "productive meeting," as Akar described, "we have very clearly expressed the requirements of our policy, the issues related to our policy, our opinions, evaluations and sensitivities."
He also said during this "very important" visit, the ministers exchanged views on what can be done in terms of further development of stability, cooperation and security in the region.
Türkiye and Israel have been taking steps to normalize their strained relations for the past two years, and in August, the countries agreed to restore full diplomatic ties and reappoint ambassadors and consuls general after a four-year hiatus.