The office of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced today, Sunday, that the latter will visit Turkey this week following a telephone conversation between the presidents of the two countries amid alleged Iranian threats to citizens of the Jewish state in Istanbul.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement that Lapid will travel to Turkey on Thursday to meet with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Last week, Lapid urged Israelis not to travel to Turkey and the city of Istanbul in particular, and called on those in it to leave the country “as soon as possible” for fear of Iranian attacks.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, the Israeli president said in a statement.
And the Israeli statement said that “President Herzog thanked President Erdogan for his efforts to neutralize terrorist activities on his territory (…) the threat has not yet disappeared, and efforts to combat terrorism must continue.”
In recent weeks, the Israeli press has reported on attempts to attack Israelis in Turkey, citing sources who requested anonymity.
These attacks may have been averted thanks to cooperation between Israeli and Turkish security services after the two countries strengthened their relationship in recent months.
The Israeli President said that this security cooperation “strengthens confidence between the two governments and the two peoples.”
Relations between Israel and Turkey have recently undergone a transformation following an Israeli president’s visit to Turkey in March, the first visit by an Israeli president to the country since 2007. The Turkish Foreign Minister made a rare visit to Jerusalem at the end of May in the context of improved diplomatic relations.
