Ahmet Oguz Celikkol
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Turkey will name a new ambassador to Israel to replace envoy Ahmet Oguz Celikkol, who was humiliated in Israel earlier this year, Turkish television reported Sunday.
Private NTV television on Sunday reported that Celikkol, who held the post for less than a year, will be replaced this summer by diplomat and expert on Middle Eastern affairs Kerim Uras.
In February Turkey announced that Celikkol had asked to quit Israel following a diplomatic crisis initiated by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, in which the latter placed the ambassador on a chair lower than his own and told reporters to document it.
Ayalon expressed regret for Celikkol's decision, but said it would not affect Turkey's relations with Israel. "This is an internal Turkish affair," he said.
A telegram sent from Israel's embassy in Ankara to Jerusalem said a "reliable source" had reported that the ambassador had been transferred due to a "loss of trust".