The office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced that Turkey and Israel are resuming diplomatic relations in full, following a phone call between Lapid and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A statement issued by Lapid's office on Wednesday noted, "After the agreements reached during Yair Lapid's visit to Ankara and his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, and subsequently the phone call between the Prime Minister and President Erdoğan, and in light of the positive developments that have occurred in the relations between the two countries over the past year, the two countries have decided to return to full diplomatic representation."
The statement added that "the Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Alon Ushpiz, spoke yesterday with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal and agreed to proceed with this." It was decided to elevate Israeli-Turkish relations to full diplomatic representation with the return of ambassadors and consuls from both countries.
Lapid stated in the announcement that "resuming relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and a significant economic opportunity for the citizens of Israel," pledging to continue working on "enhancing Israel's standing in the world." For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu also announced the exchange of ambassadors between Turkey and Israel, stating in press remarks: "We have decided to resume the exchange of ambassadors with Israel and to appoint our ambassador in Tel Aviv. The names will be announced and the process will officially begin."
