Israel appoints its new ambassador to Turkey

The Israeli government has appointed Irit Lillian as ambassador to Turkey. Lillian, who held the post of chargé d'affaires in Ankara for the past two years, now leads the first Israeli diplomatic mission to Turkey since 2018, when Ankara and Jerusalem severed relations.

The two countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties last August, something Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said would strengthen "regional stability". The Turkish authorities, for their part, described the development as "a positive step".

Israeli President Isaac Herzog laid the groundwork for this rapprochement during an official visit to Ankara in March that "marked a turning point", according to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since then, the two countries have strengthened cooperation in areas such as trade, the economy and security. 

Israel and Turkey continue to consolidate their rapprochement. According to the Israeli Prime Minister's office, Lapid is scheduled to meet with Erdogan in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting will be the first between the Turkish president and an Israeli prime minister since 2008, when Erdogan met Ehud Olmert, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Lapid will also hold talks with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In addition to Lillian's appointment, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has appointed Ishmael Khaldi as Israeli ambassador to Turkmenistan, Ravit Bar as consul general in Shanghai and Daniel Meron as deputy director general of the ministry's European section.