Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the first time in 14 years, the latest sign of warming relations between the two regional powers after a long and bitter rift.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

At the meeting, Lapid said he "approves" of the recent restoration of full diplomatic relations between the countries and the appointment this week of a new Israeli ambassador to Turkey.

The scene, in which Lapid, Israel's interim prime minister until new elections in November, warmly welcomes Erdogan, could serve to bolster his diplomatic reputation as an alternative to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has positioned himself as a world-class statesman, but relations with Turkey have deteriorated during his more than a decade in power, the AP noted.

Erdogan has shown a willingness to warm relations since Netanyahu left office last year. Over years of strained relations, Erdoğan has been an outspoken critic of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. Israel, for its part, objects to Turkey's support for Hamas.

Once close regional allies recalled their ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound flotilla that broke the Israeli blockade. Nine Turkish activists were killed in the incident.

But after a state visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey in March and other signs of a thaw, the two countries agreed to exchange ambassadors again.

During their meeting in New York, Lapid thanked Erodegan for his intelligence cooperation in "countering Iranian attempts to carry out terrorist attacks in Turkey and raised the issue of missing and captured Israelis."

The leaders also discussed energy cooperation. Erdogan expressed interest in Turkey using Israel's offshore natural gas deposits in the Mediterranean Sea.