Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog shake hands during a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey March 9, 2022. Photo: Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog that synergy in the field of energy was mutually beneficial for their countries and that he hoped the momentum built in recent talks would continue, his office said on Friday.

Turkey and Israel have in recent weeks been working to mend their long-strained ties, and energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation.

Herzog visited Turkey last month for talks with Erdogan, and the Turkish leader has said he will send his foreign and energy ministers to Israel for talks.

In a statement, the Turkish presidency said that Erdogan, in a phone call with Herzog, also stressed the importance of allowing Palestinians to enter Israel during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, adding that he welcomed recent Israeli and Palestinian statements calling for easing tensions.

“Erdogan… repeated that he expected the sensitivity shown by Israeli authorities in keeping Al-Aqsa mosque open 24 hours in the last 10 days of Ramadan and closing it to visits by non-Muslims to continue,” his office said, adding he also condemned recent terror attacks in Israel.

Regional rivals Turkey and Israel expelled ambassadors in 2018 and have often traded barbs over the Palestinian conflict, Turkish support of the Hamas militant group, which runs Gaza, and other issues.

Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has said it believes a rapprochement with Israel will also help find a solution to the issue, but that it would not abandon commitments to Palestinians for better ties with Israel.

On Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he will visit Israel with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez in mid-May and discuss the appointment of ambassadors with his Israeli counterpart during the visit.