Erdogan officially appoints Turkish Ambassador to 'Israel': Decree
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Sakir Ozkan Torunlar has been appointed as the Turkish Ambassador to "Israel" by a decree that was signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AFP)
Following the restoration of diplomatic ties between Turkey and "Israel", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree appointing Sakir Ozkan Torunlar as Turkey's Ambassador to "Israel", according to a corresponding decree published in the official Resmi Gazete newspaper of the Turkish government.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, announced in late August that his country had decided to reestablish diplomatic ties with "Israel" by designating an ambassador. Previously, Torunlar held the position of Ambassador to Palestine.
Read next: Turkey ignores Palestine, bolsters ties with 'Israel'
The Turkish Ambassador to "Israel" has been identified as Torunlar, a member of Turkey's Foreign Policy Advisory Board, in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree No. 3.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu affirmed that the decree appointing Turkey's ambassador candidate to “Israel” is ready and will be presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan soon.
On the other hand, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said on September 24 that Turkey and the Israeli occupation have been negotiating the transportation of gas to the European Union.
Gas from the Eastern Mediterranean could become an alternative to Russian supplies for the EU, Kalin said in May, adding that Ankara was ready to be part of this process.
"These negotiations [between Turkey and the Israeli occupation] are underway, as far as I know, the next meeting will be held in October," Kalin told reporters when asked the relevant question.
The EU has long been looking for alternatives for Russian natural gas as it has pledged to end dependence on Russian energy supplies following the war in Ukraine.
The bloc has already approved eight packages of sanctions against Moscow, including a gradual phase-out of Russian oil.
Relations between "Tel Aviv" and Istanbul deteriorated sharply in 2010 after the Israeli occupation captured the Mavi Marmara ship sailing out of Turkey to the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Ankara invited the Israeli Ambassador to Turkey to leave the country in May 2018.
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