Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Turkey’s consul general to the Palestinian Authority has presented his credentials to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and will become the first ambassador recognized by Palestine, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Monday.
The move comes after the Palestinian upgrade to non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly in November.
Turkey was one of a large majority of states which recognized the PA’s status upgrade at the United Nations.
Şakir Torunlar, who has served as the consul general in Jerusalem, which provides consular services for Turkish citizens in the West Bank and Gaza, will be the new Turkish Ambassador to Palestine, according to the report.
The move came weeks after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkey for operational errors committed that may have led to a loss of life on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010. Nine Turks were killed when Israel Navy commandos, trying to keep the ship from breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip, were attacked by those on board.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit the Gaza Strip for the first time at the end of May, Hurriyet reported on Monday.
Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
via ‘Turkey first state with ambassador to Palestine’ | JPost | Israel News.
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