CORRECTS - Israeli premier hails Herzog for improving ties with Turkiye

Naftali Bennett says president played important role in diplomatic contacts with Ankara

CORRECTS BENNETT’S QUOTES, CHANGES ATTRIBUTION TO SOURCE

By Mucahit Aydemir

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday that he sees President Isaac Herzog as an "extraordinary diplomatic asset for solving problems.”

Bennett’s remarks came in a press statement from his office in West Jerusalem, according to The Jerusalem Post newspaper.

Bennett touched on bilateral relations with Turkiye, stressing that Herzog played an important role in diplomatic contacts with Ankara.

“In my eyes, the president is doing an excellent job,” he said. “He is an extraordinary diplomatic asset for solving problems.”

The Israeli daily quoted a senior diplomatic source as saying Bennett and the government are proceeding very cautiously with Turkiye.

The source touched on the changes in the Middle East, saying the United Arab Emirates and Turkiye are restoring ties and that Ankara and Tehran “are not good friends, to say the least.”

On Feb. 3, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an upcoming visit by the Israeli president to Turkiye in mid-March.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat

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