High-level Turkish delegation visits West Jerusalem

Senior Turkish officials held meetings in West Jerusalem on Feb. 17 ahead of a rare visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, officials said.

"The parties discussed preparations for the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, bilateral ties between the two countries, as well as various regional issues," Herzog's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement.

Herzog met with Ibrahim Kalın, senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as well as Sedat Önal, the deputy foreign minister.

"Turkey and Israel have broad influence in the region, and both have agreed that the rehabilitation of relations can contribute to regional stability," the Israeli statement added.

In a television interview last month, Erdoğan said he expected Herzog to visit, hailing the trip as an opportunity to "open a new chapter in relations between Turkey and Israel".

Turkey's state-run TRT television has reported the trip would take place on March 9 and 10.

Erdoğan has also said he was ready to cooperate with Israel on a gas pipeline project in the eastern Mediterranean.

In recent months, the two countries have been working on a rapprochement, with Erdoğan, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, holding telephone talks with Herzog.

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