Israel's President Isaac Herzog arrived in Turkey Wednesday to meet his counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the first visit by an Israeli head of state since 2007, as the countries seek to mend fractured ties.
"We will not agree on everything, and the relationship between Israel and Turkey has certainly known ups and downs and not-so-simple moments in recent years," Herzog told reporters at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport ahead of his trip.
"But we shall try to restart our relations and build them in a measured and cautious manner, and with mutual respect between our states," he said.
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 east Mediterranean to Europe, excluding Turkey, have stalled after the United States expressed misgivings in January.
Herzog's visit to Ankara and Istanbul was in the making weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, though the conflict could feature at the talks, with both Israel and Turkey playing mediation roles in recent days.
However, bilateral issues are likely to dominate following more than a decade of diplomatic rupture between Israel and Turkey, a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The issues that are likely to be discussed include gas sales to Europe, a topic that has acquired added urgency amid the Ukraine conflict.
Turkey and Israel will discuss steps to improve cooperation during talks between the two countries' presidents in Ankara, the Turkish Presidency said on Saturday, as the regional rivals work to repair long-strained ties.
Erdoğan and Herzog will "review all aspects of Turkey-Israel bilateral ties" and "discuss steps that can be taken to improve cooperation," it said.
The two presidents will also hold talks on "recent regional and international developments," it added.
"The two presidents will discuss various bilateral issues, including Israel-Turkey relations and the potential for expanding collaboration between their respective states and peoples in various fields," Herzog's office also said.
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.
Israeli officials have said that Herzog and Erdoğan may discuss prospects of exporting Israeli gas to Europe through Turkey, a notion raised by Erdoğan in January, amid fears of impaired supply following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also stepped into the role as a Russia-Ukraine mediator over the weekend, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin for three hours on Saturday, and speaking to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three times in a day.
Erdoğan is also in contact with Putin and Zelenskyy, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu is set to host his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in southern Turkey on Thursday.
Regional ties also remain sensitive, and Herzog visited both Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration ahead of his Turkey trip to reassure the two Israeli allies.
Herzog will also meet with members of the Jewish community in Istanbul before returning to Israel on Thursday.
