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Ankara hosts regular consultation with Israel following latest crisis
Gal met with Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu on Tuesday at the 13th “political consultation” meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministries. Gal also met with Turkey’s chief EU negotiator, State Minister Egemen Bağış.
Barak was the first Israeli official to visit Turkey since the diplomatic feud that erupted early last week when Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, summoned Turkish Ambassador to Israel Ahmet Oğuz Çelikkol to complain about a TV show. The ambassador, who was refused a handshake, was forced to sit on a low sofa while Ayalon explained to local TV stations that the humiliation was intentional. Outraged, Turkey threatened to recall its ambassador, forcing Ayalon to apologize.
Like Barak’s visit, Gal’s visit to Ankara was also scheduled before the diplomatic spat concerning Çelikkol. The foreign ministries of both countries announced that the meeting would be a venue for bilateral, regional and international talks, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry specifically described the talks as “the semi-annual strategic dialogue.”
The previous “strategic dialogue” was held six months ago in Jerusalem, the Israeli Foreign Ministry added, referring to a meeting in June between Gal and then-Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, who is now serving in New York as Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN.
While admitting that Gal’s meeting in Ankara was scheduled before Ayalon’s inappropriate treatment of Çelikkol, Israeli Foreign Ministry officials, speaking with The Jerusalem Post on Monday, emphasized that “the fact that the meeting was going on as scheduled was an indication that both sides were interested in repairing the relationship.”
Another Israeli daily, Haaretz, meanwhile, underlined that Gal has tried hard to keep his distance from the recent tension between Israel and Turkey.
“Senior Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said that Gal largely refrained from getting involved in the matter and did not confront either Ayalon or Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman over it, even though he opposed the reprimand,” Haaretz said.
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