File Photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Reuters)
Turkey and Israel this week will begin the process of exchanging ambassadors after the former allies signed a deal to normalise ties following a bitter row in 2010, Ankara said Tuesday.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, making the announcement, also said Turkey and Russia's foreign ministers would meet in the Russian resort of Sochi on July 1 after months of acrimony, as Ankara seeks to strengthen regional ties.
"This week we will start the process of ambassador appointment" between Turkey and Israel, Kalin told reporters in Ankara.
He added that the meeting between Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov would take place on the sidelines of a Black Sea Economic Cooperation meeting in Sochi.
The announcements come after Turkey went on a major diplomatic charm offensive on Monday, seeking to restore ties with both Russia and Israel as it moves back towards a policy known as "zero problems with neighbours".
The foreign policy shift comes after Turkey became embroiled in a series of diplomatic crises in recent months, and with its foe President Bashar al-Assad still in power in Syria.
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