Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the visit of President Isaac Herzog to Turkey on Wednesday as an "exciting moment."

Bennett shared a video on Twitter of the official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara and said: "A warm welcome to the President of Israel Isaac Herzog, Israel's national anthem at the Palace in Ankara. An exciting moment."

Defense Minister Benny Gantz also took to Twitter to "congratulate" Herzog on his "important" visit to Turkey.

"The attempt to renew ties with Turkey also stems from the common security interest of the two countries and the need to maintain the stability of the world and the Middle East," Gantz wrote.

He added: "We will continue to strengthen and maintain our ties with our longtime allies in the region," including Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration.

Herzog arrived in Turkey Wednesday to meet his counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2007, as the countries seek to mend fractured ties.

The common goal of Turkey and Israel is to revive bilateral political dialogue based on common interests, Erdoğan said Wednesday.

The historic visit of Herzog will be a "new turning point" in relations, he told a joint news conference.

"Our common goal with Israel is to revive the political dialogue between our countries based on common interests, respect for mutual sensitivities," he said.

Expressing his appreciation for his Israeli counterpart's visit to Turkey, Erdoğan said strengthening the ties with Israel is of great importance for regional stability and peace.

He said Turkey was ready to cooperate with Israel in the energy sector, adding that the Turkish foreign and energy ministers would soon visit Israel for more talks on increased cooperation.

The president also expressed the importance of reducing the tensions in the region and the significance of preserving the vision of a two-state solution to his Israeli counterpart.

"It is in our hands to contribute to the reestablishment of a culture of peace, tranquility, and coexistence in our region," Erdoğan noted.

He went on to say: "It will also be easier for us to deal with the issues on which we disagree as long as we can enhance our bilateral cooperation and regional dialogue through a positive agenda."

Herzog for his part said the aim is to lay foundations for the development of friendly relations between Turkey, Israel, and the peoples of the two countries.

"Israel and Turkey can and should engage in a cooperation that will impact this region we all call home," Herzog said.

"The Turkish foreign minister will visit Israel next month and will hold talks with the Israeli foreign minister, and this will enable the continuation of the dialogue," he added.

Praising Turkey's efforts for the trilateral meeting with Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers to be held in Antalya on Thursday, he said: "I also greatly appreciate your efforts that led to the summit that will be held in your country tomorrow."

Herzog Thursday also met with the members of the Jewish community in Istanbul.

Herzog's visit, the first by an Israeli head of state in many years, is seen as a step toward moving from a period of strained ties to improved relations with Turkey.

One particular area of interest for Turkey and Israel is natural gas. Erdoğan has said the visit will herald a "new era" and that the two countries could work together to carry Israeli natural gas to Europe, reviving an idea first discussed more than 20 years ago. Plans for a subsea pipeline from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, excluding Turkey, have stalled after the United States expressed misgivings in January.

In recent months, the two regional powers have sought a rapprochement after nearly a decade of broken ties.

Israel's presidency is traditionally a ceremonial post but Herzog, a veteran of the left-wing Labor Party, has taken on a high-profile diplomatic role. Erdoğan and Herzog have spoken several times since Herzog's inauguration in July.

Israel was a long-time regional ally of Turkey before a 2010 commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla left 10 Turkish activists dead, which led to nearly a decade of broken ties.

The countries withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed the Gaza-bound flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Palestinians that broke an Israeli blockade. Relations broke down again in 2018 when Turkey, angered by the U.S. moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, once more recalled its ambassador, prompting Israel to respond in kind. The two countries have not reappointed their ambassadors.

In November 2021, Erdoğan conducted talks over the phone with Herzog and Bennett, the first such discussions between the Turkish leader and an Israeli leader since 2013. Erdoğan declared that Turkey is considering "gradual" reconciliation with Israel.

In January 2022, he announced that Turkey is ready to cooperate with Israel on a gas pipeline project in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Following the 2010 crisis, Israel created a strategic alliance with Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, two actors with long-standing acrimony toward Turkey, and in recent years held regular trilateral meetings and conducted joint military drills.

The trio was part of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum established in 2019 with other states, including Egypt and Jordan – without Turkey.

In 2020, Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration signed the EastMed deal for a pipeline to ship gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, triggering objections from Ankara.

The United States has since also raised concern about the project, citing possible issues over its "commercial viability."

Erdoğan had earlier said energy cooperation could be on the agenda during talks with Herzog.

Turkey has recently been working to improve relations with several countries in the region as part of a normalization process launched in 2020.

Ankara, which supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has condemned Israel's occupation of the West Bank and its policy toward Palestinians, while Israel has called on Turkey to drop support for the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which runs Gaza.

Last month, Turkey said it would not abandon its commitment to Palestine in order to broker closer ties with Israel.

Through the years of animosity, Turkey and Israel have maintained trade, which stood at $6.7 billion in 2021, up from $5 billion in 2019 and 2020, according to official data.