Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he welcomes the invitation by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for Israel to establish an official mission in its Brussels headquarters, a move which had been previously blocked by Turkey.

“This is a goal that we have worked on for many years,” Netanyahu said before the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “The countries of the world are looking to cooperate with us due to – inter alia – our determined fight against terrorism, our technological know-how and our intelligence services.”

The NATO invitation to Israel is seen a sign that Turkey, a NATO member, has withdrawn its objections to Israel’s participation as relations between the two countries continue to thaw after years of rupture.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Qatar a few days ago that Turkey is willing to sign a reconciliation agreement with Israel, provided that the water and electricity crisis in Gaza is solved.

“The North Atlantic Council has agreed ‎to accept the request that an official Israeli Mission be established at NATO headquarters,” NATO said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Israel is a very active partner of the Alliance as a member of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue.”