President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the appointment
of a former foreign policy adviser as Turkey’s new ambassador to
Israel on Wednesday.
Kemal Okem will assume his duties in Tel Aviv with immediate
effect, Erdogan said.
“We are appointing Mr. Kemal Okem as ambassador,” Erdogan told
reporters at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport before leaving for Pakistan.
“They have also appointed their envoy. I believe they start their
duty today.”
Okem served as chief foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister
Binali Yildirim before his appointment and prior to that he advised
former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
He worked for the Foreign Ministry’s Middle East directorate and
was previously posted overseas in Turkey’s London and Riyadh
embassies, according to the Foreign Ministry. He also spent time
working as the permanent representative to NATO.
Born in Ankara in 1967, Okem graduated from Middle East
Technical University and completed a masters and doctorate at the
Ankara-based university. He also has a masters from Oxford
University.
On Tuesday, Israel appointed its first ambassador to Turkey in
six years. Eitan Na’eh, deputy ambassador to the U.K. since 2013,
will be the new envoy to Ankara, the Israeli Foreign Ministry
announced.
Na’eh previously worked in the Ankara embassy in 1993 and also
served as Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan.
Turkey and Israel renewed ties in June following a six-year
split over the attack on the Mavi Marmara aid ship in May 2010,
when Israeli commandos killed 10 Turkish activists on the
Gaza-bound vessel.