Israel relaunches defense ties with Turkey

Defense Minister Gantz met with his counterpart and Turkish president Erdogan and his counterpart Hulusi Akar in the first visit by an Israeli defense minister to Turkey in nearly a decade, as Ankara-Jerusalem ties warm

Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, after announcing a gradual resumption of defense ties with Ankara, in the first visit by an Israeli defense minister to Turkey in about a decade.

At the beginning of the meeting, Gantz thanked Erdogan for the work of his country’s defense agencies for saving the lives of Israelis and members of Turkey’s Jewish community. There is much potential in these actions, he said, to strengthen the countries’ security cooperation and official defense ties.