Turkey ambassador to Israel takes office after long vacancy

Turkey's new envoy to Israel submitted his credentials to Israel's President Reuven Rivlin on Monday, ending years of diplomatic strife between the two countries.

The ceremony, at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem, marked the first time Turkey sent an envoy to Israel in six years.

Mekin Mustafa Kemal Okem, accompanied by his wife and two children, told Rivlin that "this is indeed a new beginning in our bilateral relations and a resumption of the ties between our countries that have known days of fruitful cooperation in the past."

He said he was eager to "explore every possible aspect of cooperation" with Israel.

In response to Okem's statement, Rivlin said "today is a truly historic moment." Rivlin offered his condolences to the Turkish people in the wake of the Saturday deadly bomb attack, which killed at least 44 people.

"The friendship between our countries had a rich history, and I hope that the reconciliation and the new appointments will turn a new leaf and secure our relations," Rivlin said, adding he expects new commercial and economic cooperation will follow the renewed ties.

The move came after Israel sent its ambassador to Ankara, as part of a reconciliation agreement signed between Israel and Turkey in June.

The deal ended six years of tensions over the fatal Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla in 2010. Endit