Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that preparations are underway for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Turkey, and it might take place in October or November.
"The Turkish Foreign Ministry continues to work on the date of the visit. I think Netanyahu's visit to Turkey ... will be paid in October or November," Erdogan told reporters late Monday, according to the Anadolu news agency.
Erdogan said he will travel to Israel after Netanyahu's visit to Turkey.
"As Turkey and Israel, we cooperate in many areas. It is a fact that there are new areas of cooperation. Especially Europe is in search of sustainable energy sources with the influence of the conjuncture after the Russia-Ukraine war,” said the Turkish President.
"It is known to everyone that Israel is seeking to transport its resources to Europe. The most rational route is to deliver these resources to Europe via Turkey," Erdogan added.
Erdogan recently met Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, marking their first face-to-face meeting since 2016.
Netanyahu was supposed to visit Turkey this past July and meet with Erdogan, but canceled the visit after undergoing a procedure to implant a pacemaker.
After the meeting with Netanyahu, Erdogan told a group of Jewish leaders that he intends to visit Israel soon and added that he was very excited about the reconciliation with Israel.
Israel and Turkey formally announced last year that they would normalize relations by returning the ambassadors and consuls, after years of tensions.
In December, Israel's Ambassador to Turkey, Irit Lillian, presented her credentials to Erdogan. In March, the new Turkish Ambassador to Israel, Şakir Özkan Torunlar, presented his credentials to President Herzog.