NEW YORK (JNS) – Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.N. Secretary General António Guterres on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly session in New York.
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During the first meeting between an Israeli premier and the Turkish president since 2008, Lapid hailed the recent restoration of full bilateral ties between Jerusalem and Ankara, and noted this week’s appointment of Irit Lillian as ambassador to Turkey.
The two leaders discussed the fight against terrorism in Israel and elsewhere, with Lapid thanking Erdoğan for the intelligence cooperation that helped thwart several Iranian attempts this summer to carry out attacks against Israelis on Turkish soil.
They also discussed economic and energy cooperation, with Lapid saying that the renewal of Israeli flights to Turkey would greatly contribute to strengthening tourism between the nations.
Lapid also raised the importance of securing the release of Israeli captives being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
During his subsequent meeting with Guterres, Lapid called on the U.N. chief to rectify the discriminatory treatment of Israel at the international body.
The two discussed the need to fight anti-Semitism in all its forms, and the need for Western countries to combat terrorism.