Turkey has appointed an envoy to Israel after two years of increasingly rocky relations. Ufuk Ulutas, chair of the Center for Strategic Research at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, will take over the role.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Ulutas is said to hold highly pro-Palestinian views. He is also described as a staunch supporter of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been posturing as the champion of the Palestinian cause.
The designation was designed as a way to appease the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden, who signaled a willingness to confront Erdogan.
Hakan Fidan, head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, has recently held under-the-radar talks with Israel, with rapprochement being one of the subjects discussed.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize the Jewish state in 1949, ushering in decades of cooperation and friendship. However, the ties between the two countries turned increasingly sour in the past decade as Erdogan repeatedly came out in support of the Hamas terrorist group.
In 2018, both countries expelled each other's ambassadors as Erdogan lashed out at the US over relocating its Israel embassy to Jerusalem.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
