The meeting follows the recent announcement of the restoration of full diplomatic representation and the return of Ambassadors and Consuls-General to Israel and Türkiye.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the first meeting between a Prime Minister of Israel and a President of Türkiye since 2008.

The meeting follows the recent announcement of the restoration of full diplomatic representation and the return of Ambassadors and Consuls-General to Israel and Türkiye.

According to Lapid’s office, the Israeli Prime Minister commended the increased level of representation as well as the appointment of a new Israeli Ambassador to Türkiye, Irit Lillian.

The two leaders discussed the fight against terrorism in Israel and generally. Lapid thanked President Erdoğan for intelligence cooperation at the time of Iran’s attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on Turkish soil, his office said.

The Prime Minister also brought up the issue of missing and captive Israelis, and the importance of bringing them home.

The two leaders also discussed economic and energy cooperation between Israel and Türkiye, as well as regional developments. Lapid noted the restoration of Israeli flights to Türkiye, saying this will contribute greatly to strengthening tourism between the two countries.

During a meeting in New York with leaders of American Jewish organizations, convened under the auspices of the Turkish embassy and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Erdogan said that he plans to visit Israel.