Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will visit Israel on May 24 amid increasing efforts between the regional rivals to mend ties, four years after they expelled ambassadors.
Speaking to broadcaster CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said he will travel to Israel with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez on May 24 and would discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit, which comes amid diplomatic efforts to mend the long-strained Israel-Turkey ties.
President Tayyip Erdogan said last month he was "very, very hopeful" for energy cooperation with Israel, and he hoped to discuss the issue with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Earlier this week, Erdogan condemned Israel for the violent clashes that broke out between security forces and Palestinian rioters inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.
On Tuesday, Erdogan said he told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas that he condemned Israeli "intervention on worshippers" at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque and threats to its "status or spirit."
The Turkish President added that he had also talked with Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, to whom he told he was "very upset" by Palestinians injured or killed in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The two countries expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, and other issues.