ANKARA, Turkey, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Israel's ambassador to Turkey was summoned to a meeting with government officials in Ankara in a diplomatic tiff between the two nations, reports indicate.
Turkish media said the country's foreign minister had summoned Israeli ambassador Gabby Levy for a private discussion Tuesday, one day after an incident in Jerusalem involving Israeli Deputy Foreign Ministry Daniel Ayalon that Turkish officials considered humiliating, Ynetnews.com reported.
In the Monday incident, Ayalon summoned the Turkish ambassador to voice complaints about a Turkish television drama depicting Israeli security forces as kidnapping children and shooting old men. The New York Times reported that as the meeting started, Ayalon indicated Israeli displeasure by pointing out to cameramen that the ambassador was seated on a sofa lower than his own chair and noted there was no Turkish flag on display.
An unnamed senior Turkish Foreign Ministry source told the Hurriyet newspaper that Ankara doesn't intend to treat Levy the same way, noting that his visit would not include a public reprimand.
"Turkey is a serious country and will not behave in the same rude manner towards Ambassador Levy or any other country," the source reportedly said.
