President of Israel Isaac Herzog spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday evening, ahead of a possible meeting between the two leaders and in the latest sign of the warming relations between the countries, The Times of Israel reports.
According to a press release issued by the President’s Office, Herzog wished Erdogan a speedy recovery after the Turkish president tested positive for COVID-19, together with his wife, the previous day.
Erdogan thanked Herzog for his concern about his well-being. The two leaders also discussed the possibility of meeting soon, the press release read.
The phone call represents a recent shift in Erdogan’s public policy toward Israel, with the Turkish president signaling a different approach and a desire to rekindle relations with Israel in recent months.
On Friday, Erdogan said that Turkey and Israel could work together to deliver natural gas from the Middle East to Europe, and the two countries would discuss energy cooperation during talks next month.
Turkey is currently being battered by an economic crisis, while Israel and a group of regional countries, including Turkey’s rival Greece, have been working on a joint pipeline to bring eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe, in a deal signed in January 2020.
Turkey has strongly opposed the project and staked its own territorial claims to the region’s energy wealth.
After the Biden administration dropped its support for the controversial gas pipeline last month, Erdogan indicated that he wanted Turkey to be involved in the import of Israeli gas to Europe, saying there had been “some progress” on the matter in the past, and suggesting a new project that would involve Ankara.
But despite Erdogan efforts, Israeli officials quoted by Haaretz last week said that better ties with Turkey would not come at the expense of Israel’s alliance with Greece and Cyprus, who were reportedly already aware of the possibility.