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Turkish Envoy Resigns After Washington Summit

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  • Turkish Envoy Resigns After Washington Summit

    TURKISH ENVOY RESIGNS AFTER WASHINGTON SUMMIT

    AZG DAILY
    11-12-2009

    International

    Turkey was shocked by the surprise resignation of Turkish Ambassador
    to Washington Nabi Å~^ensoy in the aftermath of Prime Minister Recep
    Tayyip Erdogan's critical meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama
    early this week, Turkish Hurriyet Daily reported.

    "Our Ambassador to Washington, Mr. Nabi Å~^ensoy, requested to return
    to his post in the Foreign Ministry. The request of the ambassador
    was accepted by [Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu]," said a written
    statement released by the ministry late Wednesday.

    Behind the scenes, Å~^ensoy's resignation reportedly came after an
    argument with Davutoglu, who was offended because he was excluded from
    the Erdogan-Obama meeting in the White House and accused Å~^ensoy
    of not fulfilling the request from Ankara that Davutoglu be part of
    the meeting.

    "I don't want to make a comment," Å~^ensoy said when asked by the
    Dogan news agency why he had resigned.

    Well-placed sources said Davutoglu had requested that the White
    House meeting be in a four-way format known in diplomatic jargon as
    "one plus one," which includes two countries' leaders and foreign
    ministers, and told the ambassador to convey that request to the U.S.

    administration.

    The meeting in Washington, however, did not take place in the
    expected format. When the foreign ministers were excluded from the
    tête-a-tête meeting between Obama and Erdogan, a battle of words
    took place between Davutoglu and the ambassador. Davutoglu asked
    Å~^ensoy why the meeting was not held in the four-way format,
    noting that the meeting in Ankara during Obama's first overseas
    trip in April included the foreign ministers. Sources said Å~^ensoy
    told the minister that the request could not be conveyed and said,
    "You can dismiss me if you like," the Daily News has learned.

    In the back corridors, there has been speculation that Å~^ensoy was
    reluctant to stay on as ambassador in the one of the world's leading
    capitals after the tense dialogue with his minister and asked if he
    could return to the Foreign Ministry.

    Å~^ensoy had been serving in the United States since January 2006, and
    his tenure as ambassador was set to expire in the first half of 2010.

    The Foreign Ministry said a new ambassador would be appointed to the
    Turkish Embassy in Washington in the coming days.

    When asked about the resignation while in Mexico, Erdogan said only:
    "Let's hope for the best."
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