ANKARA, August 17./TASS/. Turkey has decided to restore full diplomatic ties with Israel and to appoint an ambassador to Tel Aviv, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara on Wednesday.
"Within the process of normalizing and restoring full diplomatic relations with Israel, Turkey has made a decision to appoint its ambassador to that country," the top diplomat said. The name of the ambassador will be made public after the president signs a decree, he added.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that the countries had agreed to restore full diplomatic ties.
Turkey's foreign minister visited Israel on May 25, becoming the first Turkish official to visit the country in 15 years. As Cavusoglu said based on the results of the visit, his main goal was to reset bilateral relations after the crisis in 2010, when Israeli special forces seized the Turkish ferry Mavi Marmara, which was on its way to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. The countries then downgraded diplomatic relations and recalled their ambassadors. The appointment of the ambassadors was discussed on June 23, when Yair Lapid, the then Israeli Foreign Minister, visited Ankara.
The Israeli and Turkish leaders agreed to a full renewal of diplomatic relations and to return their ambassadors, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reported on Wednesday. The decision came following a phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it said in a statement.
During the contacts between the countries’ Foreign Ministries, the decision was made to upgrade the level of ties to full diplomatic relations and to return the ambassadors and consuls general of the two countries, it added.
"The renewal of relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel. We will continue to act and strengthen Israel’s international standing in the world," Lapid said.
The upgrading of relations will help deepen ties between the two peoples, to expand trade, economic and cultural contacts and to strengthen regional stability, the PM’s office said.