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ANKARA Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday returned to Turkey from his four-day New York visit after cementing Turkeys regional fence-mending with Greece and Israel.

Erdogans one-on-one schedule on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly largely focused on regional diplomacy, including meetings with Israeli, Greek, Iraqi and Algerian leaders. Erdogan also met with NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenberg on Monday.

Erdogans meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday marked the first-ever official face-to-face meeting, as relations between the two were highly strained during Netanyahu's previous terms in office (2009-2021).The two countries restored their diplomatic ties last July as part of Ankaras regional fence-mending push, which aimed to overcome Turkeys regional isolation and economic hardships by restoring its ties with Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In the statement after the meeting, "The two leaders mutually invited each other for visits to Israel and Turkey and it was agreed that these visits would be coordinated and take place soon, the Israeli side said.

Shortly before the New York meeting, Israels Channel 2 reported thatErdogan is interested in arranging a trip to Israel as soon as possible to pray at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque to mark the centennial of the Turkish Republic, which was founded on Oct. 29, 1923.

Netanyahu was scheduled to travel to Turkey last July in what would have been the first visit to Ankara by an Israeli prime minister in 14 years but the trip was postponed, with the Israeli government citing health reasons.

Erdogan also reached out to Israel's supporters in a meeting with 15 Jewish leaders, where he denounced anti-Semitism.

The meeting according to the Jerusalem Post included "attendees from the Conference of Presidents and various other Jewish organizations, as well as rabbis, leaders of the Turkish Jewish community, and Turkish Jewish Americans."

The Turkish leaders meeting withGreek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday, meanwhile, saw an agreement on a date for the resumption of the confidence-building talks between the two countries' defense ministries. The setting of a date for talks came as the latest in a series of steps the two countries have taken to resolve their conflicting territorial claims in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas following the disaster diplomacy after the devastating February earthquakes that hit southern Turkey.

No NATO breakthrough

Following Erdogan-Stoltenberg meeting, the Turkish president said: "We will remain one of the most active supporters of NATO missions." But he gave no indication of a timeline for the Turkish parliament to ratify Sweden's membership.

Erdogans postponement of a Turkish parliament vote on Swedens pending NATO membership accession after he greenlighted it in July drew the ire of Western capitals, particularly Washington.

The tensions became public when Erdogan said earlier month that his country was seriously upset over Washingtons linking a Turkish request to buy new F-16 fighter jets from the United States to Swedens NATO membership, which is pending ratification by Turkey and Hungary. His remarks came after his brief chat with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi.

Dropping his yearlong objections, Erdogan greenlighted the Swedish accession to NATO under a trilateral statement by NATO, Turkey and Sweden on the sidelines of NATOs Vilnius summit in July. Yet later he announced that he would not initiate the ratification process until October when the Turkish parliament returns from a summer recess.

His remarks on the sidelines of the G20 summit earlier this month further increased uncertainty over the Swedish bid."It is not possible for me to say 'yes' [to Sweden] alone unless such a decision is approved by our parliament, he told journalists in New Delhi.

The issue will likely be a top agenda item during Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidans scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

Read more from the original source:
Erdogan returns to Turkey after securing thaw with Israel on US trip - Al-Monitor