ISTANBUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Saturday it

had restored access to social media platform Instagram after the

company agreed to cooperate with authorities to address the

government's concerns.

Turkey blocked access to the social media platform on Aug 2

for failing to comply with the country's "laws and rules" and

public sensitivities.

A top Turkish official accused Instagram of blocking

condolence posts over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh,

leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Turkey has denounced Israel's attacks on Gaza, called for an

immediate ceasefire and criticised what it calls unconditional

support for Israel by the West.

The nine-day ban triggered protests from users and small

businesses who reach their customers through the platform.

Turkey ranks fifth in the world in terms of Instagram usage,

with more than 57 million users, following India, the United

States, Brazil and Indonesia, according to data platform

Statista.

"As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials,

we will lift the access block...after they promised to work

together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on

censorship imposed on users," Transport and Infrastructure

Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a post on X.

Catalog crimes in Turkish law include acts such as murder,

sexual assault, drug trafficking, abuse and torture.

"Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security

in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance,

protection of user rights and the development of a fair

inspection mechanism," Uraloglu said.

Instagram parent Meta had agreed to comply with Turkish law

and ensure efficient removal of posts and content if they carry

elements of certain crimes or "terrorism propaganda", Uraloglu

said.

Instagram was not immediately available for comment when

contacted by Reuters.

"Live metrics show Instagram is being restored across

Turkey's main internet providers after national restriction

spanning nine days. This is the country's longest ban of a major

social media platform in recent years," Internet monitor

NetBlocks said.