Israeli, Turkish Leaders to Meet at United Nations

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Reuters file photo
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Reuters file photo
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Israeli, Turkish Leaders to Meet at United Nations

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Reuters file photo
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. Reuters file photo

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, as relations between the two countries thaw.

Lapid's office said he would travel to New York on Monday night, ahead of an address to the General Assembly on Thursday.

The office said that while in New York he would also meet the prime minister of Greece.

A source said the meeting with Erdogan would take place on Tuesday.

It came as Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi announced his first visit to France and Poland to meet with senior officials in the two countries.

Last month, Türkiye and Israel announced the full restoration of diplomatic ties following years of strained relations.

In May, Mevlut Cavusoglu became the first Turkish foreign minister to visit Israel in 15 years.

Erdogan described a fence-mending visit to Ankara by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in March as "a turning point in our relations".

Relations began to fray in 2008, following an Israeli military operation in Gaza.

Relations then froze in 2010 after the deaths of 10 civilians following an Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, part of an aid flotilla trying to breach the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

A brief reconciliation lasted from 2016 until 2018, when Türkiye withdrew its ambassador and expelled Israel's over the killing of Palestinians. More than 200 Gazans were shot dead by Israeli forces during border protests in 2018 and 2019.



North Korea’s Kim Calls for Building Modern Army to Brace for War

This picture taken on February 25, 2025 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 26, 2025 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) visiting the Kang Kon Military Academy in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP) 
This picture taken on February 25, 2025 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 26, 2025 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) visiting the Kang Kon Military Academy in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP) 
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North Korea’s Kim Calls for Building Modern Army to Brace for War

This picture taken on February 25, 2025 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 26, 2025 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) visiting the Kang Kon Military Academy in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP) 
This picture taken on February 25, 2025 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on February 26, 2025 shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (C) visiting the Kang Kon Military Academy in Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP) 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for building a strong, modern army to cope with any war during a visit to a military academy, state media KCNA said on Wednesday.

Kim's trip to the Kang Kon Military Academy comes after North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. This week Kim also visited the Kim Il Sung University of Politics, another elite cadre training institution, calling for military loyalty and sacrifice.

South Korea's intelligence agency has said Kim's previous inspections of military units and training might be part of preparations for an additional dispatch of soldiers to Russia.

During the latest visit to the military academy, Kim criticized the school's poor management and operation of educational facilities, saying it failed to meet the ruling party's pursuit of "modernity and advanced character" in building a powerful army, KCNA said.

He laid out tasks to refurbish the facilities and intensify education focusing on practice so that the students would learn about the "actual experiences of modern warfare", and to master advanced weapons and technical equipment, it said.

"The present international situation, in which the aggressive and bellicose nature of the imperialists is most openly expressed in history and war and bloodshed become commonplaces, requires the armed forces ... to perfectly cope with a war," Kim said, according to KCNA.

South Korean officials have warned that North Korea could benefit from supplying weapons and troops to fight in Russia by gaining experience and insight from operating on a modern battlefield.

Kyiv has said North Korean forces have suffered heavy casualties in Russia, with more than 3,000 soldiers killed or wounded by early January this year.