Isaac Herzog and Sakir Özkan Torunlar. Credit: Haim Zach, GPO
Last Wednesday, President Isaac Herzog accepted the credentials of Ankara's new ambassador to Israel, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, who previously served as consul general in Jerusalem. This comes four years after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recalled the Turkish ambassador to Israel.
In August 2022, Israel and Turkey resumed full relations. According to The Jerusalem Post, Herzog emphasized the importance that Israel attaches to relations with Turkey and the long common history that goes back centuries before the establishment of the state. The relationship has known crises in the past, he conceded, but is now on a very encouraging trajectory.
Torunlar confirmed that Erdoğan believes that the renewed relationship will be mutually beneficial, and stated that in Ankara last year he had heard both presidents make remarks to that effect.
