Barak and Turkish envoy Celikkol
Barak and Turkish envoy CelikkolIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Barak’s visit to Turkey on Sunday advanced military sales to Ankara and soothed his host's country's ruffled feathers over last week’s diplomatic snub by Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman helped end the dispute, at least outwardly, by publicly rebuking Ayalon.

Lieberman, known for his tough talk towards countries that treat Israel with disrespect, said that Ayalon was wrong in the way he treated Turkey’s ambassador to Israel. "There is no doubt that the essence of the protest was justified against Turkey, but there is also no doubt that the way in which it was carried out was a mistake," he said.

Ayalon infuriated Turkey for his off-the-record remarks that were broadcast by Israeli television, complete with instructions on seating Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Oguz Celikkol in a low seat to show his inferiority. Ayalon had summoned him to protest a Turkish anti-Israel soap opera that portrayed Israeli security personnel as baby snatchers.

Defense Minister Barak told his Turkish counterpart that the diplomatic spat is already history. However, Ayalon did not relent in his attack on the anti-Semitic program and said that the Turkish ambassador could be expelled from Israel if the show continues to be broadcast.

One of the top subjects during Barak’s visit was Turkey’s $190 million purchase of several Israeli unmanned aircraft, which have been delayed due to technical problems. The supplier, Elbit Systems, has blamed a Turkish sub-contractor for malfunctions in a camera system to be used in the drones. Turkey wants to use the UAVs for surveillance of Turkish rebels, and Barak was expected to promise that the unmanned aircraft will be delivered by spring.

Barak said that relations between Turkey and Israel are close and did not refer to Ankara’s recent agreements for cooperation with Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

He declared at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart, "Turkey is an important player in the region, one of the pillars of the Middle East. We highly appreciate relations with Turkey and want them to deepen.”