Turks summon envoy on Barak comment

Defense minister reportedly accused new spy chief of Iran sympathies.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Published: AUGUST 3, 2010 15:58
ehud barak 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
ehud barak 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest after Defense Minister Ehud Barak described its new spy chief as a "supporter" of Iran, a Turkish diplomat said, according to an AFP report Tuesday.
Ambassador Gaby Levy was called in Monday to a meeting where deputy Undersecretary Halit Cevik conveyed Ankara's displeasure over the comments, the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
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The Israeli embassy in Ankara was not immediately available for comment.
The move came two months after Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel in response to the IDF’s raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, warning that the incident might have caused “irreversible consequences” in the relationship between the two countries.
“It should be known that we are not going to remain silent in the face of this inhumane state terrorism,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the time.
Turkey also canceled three joint military drills with Israel of the flotilla affair.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report