Israel’s new ambassador to Turkey presents credentials to Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has received Israel’s new ambassador Irit Lillian, who presented her letter of credentials to him Tuesday and officially took her position in Ankara. For the past two years, Lillian served as chargé d’affaires at the embassy.
Bilateral relations between Ankara and Jerusalem have deteriorated considerably since Erdogan has been in office and particularly since the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident in which nine Turkish nationals were killed by IDF fire. Relations were partially restored after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the incident, but they deteriorated once again. In May 2018, in protest of the Israeli army’s response to rioting on the Gaza border, Turkey recalled its ambassador and asked Israel’s envoy Eitan Na’eh to leave. Following Na’eh’s expulsion, Israel expelled the Turkish chargé d’affaires.
Things changed some two years ago, when Erdogan started to signal willingness for reconciliation. A strong sign in that direction was Erdogan’s personal involvement in the efforts to free two Israeli tourists detained in Ankara in November 2021. In March 2022, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog visited Ankara, officially restoring bilateral relations. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited Ankara in June and met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. The Israeli leadership hailed the role played by the Turkish security agencies in foiling an Iranian plot to kidnap Israeli tourists in Istanbul that same month. Last August, after a four-year hiatus, the two countries agreed to fully restore relations and reappoint their mutual ambassadors.
Lillian, a former ambassador in Bulgaria and Australia, played a key role in the Israel-Turkey reconciliation with her excellent relations with the Turkish leadership. She is considered one of Israel’s top diplomats.
Lillian said later on Tuesday, “It was a moving ceremony which filled our hearts with hope. We are all aspiring that the diplomatic rapprochement process between Israel and Turkey will increase, grow and expand to many fields of cooperation. It’s in our interest, in the interest of Turkey and in the interest of the whole region. As is customary to say, inshallah! We all hope that goodwill will indeed prevail.” She also tweeted, “A very emotional moment this afternoon as I presented my letter of credentials to the president of the republic of Turkey. Looking forward to many more positive developments in the Israel-Turkey bilateral relations in the coming future.”
Turkey’s incoming ambassador to Israel, Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, presented a copy of his credential letter to the Foreign Ministry earlier this month. He is set to present the letter itself to President Herzog on Jan. 11.
Israeli-Turkish relations have ben picking up in several fields in the past year, including tourism, trade and academic ties. For instance, a delegation organized by the Israel Chambers of Commerce of 100 Israeli businesspeople arrived to Istanbul Dec. 5 to meet with Turkish counterparts and explore possible cooperation projects.