Shimon Peres is on a state visit to Turkey.
The Israeli president flew to Ankara on Sunday for a three-day visit aimed at patching up bilateral ties that were strained by Israel’s use of Turkish airspace for a secret bombing run against neighboring Syria on Sept. 6.
Having paid his respects at the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and addressed university students, Peres on Monday will hold high-level meetings in Ankara about regional issues.
On Tuesday, Peres is scheduled to speak before the Turkish parliament along with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is flying in for the occasion.
Muslim but secular Turkey is the Jewish state’s most important Middle East ally and often has mediated Israeli-Arab peace efforts.
