A senior official from the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara said that he believed that Turkey and Israel were entering a new stage in bilateral relations noting that the closer relations would include visits by various government ministers. The official also said that defense cooperation between the two countries would grow stronger in the face of regional challenges. Meanwhile, Turkish Justice Minister Baker Bondage revealed that Turkey sought to increase its free trade agreement with Israel, which went into effect over 20 years ago. During the first ten months of 2016, Turkish exports to Israel grew by over nine percent totaling 2.7 billion dollars.
