Turkey appointed new envoys to several countries, including Israel after "low seat insult".

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the new ambassadors one by one and notified them of their posts, Turkish state TV said.

Turkish ambassador to Israel Oguz Celikkol has been replaced by Kerim Uras following the low seat crisis between Turkey and Israel.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon who summoned Celikkol to express Israel's uneasiness over a Turkish TV-series showing Israeli agents kidnapping a child, had Celikkol sit at a lower armchair in front of a table with only the Israeli flag on it, denying him an handshake in front of the press.

Ayalon's snub violating all diplomatic manners drew strong reaction from Turkish officials, and strained relations to the point of breaking.

The diplomatic crisis ended when Israel apologised with a letter after repeated calls from Turkey which warned otherwise that it would withdraw its ambassador.

Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Unal Cevikoz has been appointed ambassador to London.

"New posts"

16 ambassadors to take up new posts are:

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak Ozugergin has been appointed Turkish ambassador to Zagreb,

Ilhan Ozyıldız to Beirut, Ismail Aramaz to Sofia, Kerim Uras to Tel Aviv, Aydın Sezgin to Moscow,

Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Unal Cevikoz to London, Gurol Sokmensuer to Skopje,

Akın Algan to Tunis, Lale Ulker to Astana, Ali Rıza Colak to Belgrade, Murat Adali to Jakarta,

Huseyin Dirioz to Rome, Nihat Civaner to Kinshasa, Tanju Sumer to Bern, Ali Rifat Koksal to Abuja and

Oguz Demiralp to the UN permanent representation in Geneva.

Davutoglu has selected dynamic names whom he believes will be active in the Balkans that he attaches great importance to.



Agencies