Pyotr Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Ahead of Independence Day of Turkey, on October 29 the Turkish Foreign Ministry sent to its embassies and consulships an instruction which forbade invitation of Israeli diplomats and other officials from Israel to solemn arrangements. However, it was noted that the restriction didn’t concern prominent activists of Jewish Diasporas of this or that country.
Israeli diplomats learnt about this instruction from their Turkish colleagues. Many ambassadors and responsible secretaries of Turkish embassies called Israeli diplomats and apologized for they couldn’t invite them to celebration of Independence Day.
On November 1, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a directive to its embassies and consulships that representatives of Turkey cannot be invited to the nearest reception devoted to Independence Day of Israel. “Of course we couldn’t react in some other way,” a top employee of the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Vestnik Kavkaza. “We do understand feelings of our Turkish colleagues who called to embassies of Israel. Often friendship appears between diplomats. Our directive emphasizes that restriction concerns an official reception. But Independence Day is one of the main family holidays for Israelis. Nobody forbids employees of embassies to invite their Turkish friends at home, including top diplomats.”
Meanwhile, it was found out that for the first time in history of the Israeli International Tourist Fair Turkey will not participate in it. The Organization Committee of the Fair told about this on November 1. The event will take place in Tel Aviv on February 5-6, 2013. In 2010-2012 Turkey participated in the Fair despite the crisis in relations between the countries. Ankara explained that the number of Israeli tourists visiting Turkey decreased significantly and the Fair would hardly change the situation.
