Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen was the latest top diplomat to pay a visit to Türkiye after Greek, UAE and Libyan ministers traveled to the country in a show of support after last Monday’s earthquakes.
Cohen met Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday in the capital Ankara and the duo held a joint news conference. He was later received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Cohen was also scheduled to visit Kahramanmaraş and met Israeli search and rescue crews there.
At the joint news conference, Cohen said, "On behalf of the government and people of Israel, we offer our heartfelt condolences and support to those who were affected by this tragic event."
He said he was receiving hundreds of phone calls from people of Israel and organizations to help Türkiye or to shelter Turkish people.
"We stand in solidarity with Turkish people and we will do all we can to provide help," he said.
"Israel was among the first nations to send rescue teams to Türkiye in the first 24 hours," he highlighted. "We brought hundreds of pieces of medical equipment and set up a field hospital," he added.
"Our two nations have a long history of friendship and cooperation. Türkiye helped Israel during the fire in the Carmel mountains 11 years ago. You sent your planes and we thank you again," he said, reiterating Türkiye's past support of Israel when it faced disasters.
Cohen added that Israeli airline firms would also resume direct flights to Türkiye as a mark of a continued improvement in bilateral relations. The first such flight will depart on Thursday, Cohen told reporters during what he described as a "solidarity visit to Türkiye."
“Israel stands by Turkiye during this devastating time and will continue to assist it through the activity of our forces and by providing humanitarian aid,” he tweeted after his arrival to Türkiye.
Israel sent search and rescue crews to the country in the immediate aftermath of the disasters. Most recently, a crew from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) completed their work on the field and returned to Israel. Israel also set up a mobile hospital in Kahramanmaraş, staffed by Israeli personnel treating the injured.
Noting that the two diplomats also discussed bilateral ties, Çavuşoğlu said: “Our relations have entered a new phase. We have mutually appointed ambassadors once again and high-level visits have occurred. We will continue to exert our best efforts to improve ties on the basis of reciprocal interest and respect."
Türkiye’s top diplomat reiterated that Israel sent one of the biggest search and rescue teams consisting of 450 personnel.
Çavuşoğlu acknowledged that Israel was one of the first countries to send support to Türkiye and that Ankara was thankful to the people of Israel and its government. He said an Israeli search and rescue team rescued 19 people from the rubble and set up a field hospital in Kahramanmaraş. He noted Israel also allocated a military cargo plane for relief efforts. He said that the Agency for International Development Cooperation of Israel's Foreign Ministry (MASHAV) sent 70 tons of humanitarian aid and on Monday, more personnel arrived from Israel to help with relief operations.
The minister also noted aid from Israel's local administrations and nongovernmental organizations and a show of solidarity in Israel where several city halls were illuminated with the colors of the Turkish flag.
Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye's Jewish community was also affected by the earthquake, pointing out the deaths of the head of the Jewish community in Antakya Şaul Cenudioğlu and his wife Tuna and damage to a historic synagogue in Hatay.
"Our relations entered into a new phase. We already assigned ambassadors and they are working hard to improve our ties. We once saw that both sides have the political will to use the potential in our relations in the best way. Our efforts and consultations to improve our cooperation on the basis of common interests and mutual respect will continue," he assured.
Çavuşoğlu also touched upon the Palestinian issue and said Türkiye expected de-escalation of tensions. "We highlight the importance of aversion to steps like the expansion of illegal settlements and steps harming two-state solution," he said.
The minister added it was important to preserve the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
