Turkey and Israel Resolve to Restore Relations

Tert.am
14:33 – 19.12.09

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will visit Israel in an effort to
repair strained relations between the two countries, a statement by
Israeli President Shimon Peres’s office said on Friday, reports
Reuters.

The two leaders met at the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen on Friday
and the statement, issued in Jerusalem, said they had resolved "to
restore Israel-Turkey relations to their stable, positive past." It
did not say when the visit might take place.

Relations between the two regional powers have soured since Israel
launched an three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip last
December.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party traces its
roots to a banned Islamist movement, has repeatedly criticised the
operation, even having a public shouting match with Peres during a
panel discussion in Switzerland in January.