Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received the credentials of Israel's new envoy to Türkiye Irit Lillian on Tuesday, marking the first appointment by Tel Aviv since 2018.
The development comes after the two countries normalize ties after four years of tensions. Erdoğan welcomed the Israeli Ambassador at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara. Türkiye and Israel began improving relations with high-level visits this year including Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Ankara. They agreed to appoint ambassadors mutually in August.
Lillian, Israeli's chargé d'affaires in Ankara since January 2021, became an ambassador after presenting his letter of confidence to Erdoğan.
Meanwhile, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said he is "looking forward to" receiving the credentials of the Turkish ambassador soon. "So moving to hear HaTikvah at the Presidential Complex in Ankara again, as Ambassador Irit Lillian presented her credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today," Herzog said on Twitter. "Looking forward to receiving the Turkish ambassador's credentials soon. A big step forward for Israel-Türkiye relations," he added.
