Israel, Turkey restore ties after 6 years

Israel and Turkey announced on Monday they would normalise ties after a six-year rupture, a rare rapprochement in the divided West Asia driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over growing security risks.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the two countries would exchange ambassadors as soon as possible.

The mending in relations between the once-firm allies after years of negotiations raises the prospect of eventual cooperation to exploit natural gas reserves worth hundreds of billions of dollars under the eastern Mediterranean, officials have said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it opened the way for possible Israeli gas supplies to Europe via Turkey. The move also comes as the West Asia is polarised by Syria’s civil war and as the rise of Islamic State threatens regional security, leaving both countries in need of new alliances.