UPDATE - Türkiye's new draft decree on appointing envoys 'ready,' includes Israel

UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES BY CAVUSOGLU; MANY EDITS THROUGHOUT; REVISES LEDE

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Amid Turkish and Israeli moves to normalize relations, the Turkish foreign minister on Wednesday said a new decree including the appointment of an ambassador to Tel Aviv is ready to be presented to the president.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said the decree not only includes Israel but rather is a comprehensive measure. He gave no names of possible ambassadors.

Türkiye and Israel have been taking steps to normalize ties, including a decision on Aug. 17 to restore full diplomatic relations and reappoint ambassadors and consuls general after a four-year hiatus.

A cooperation agreement was also signed between the two countries in the field of aviation. Currently, Turkish aviation companies can organize flights to Israel.

Cavusoglu further announced that he will travel to London next Monday as Türkiye’s official representative at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

After taking part in the 77th UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20-26, Cavusoglu is set to go to Japan to attend the official funeral of assassinated former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on Sept. 27.

- Armenia, Azerbaijan, visa delays

Asked whether the next meeting between Türkiye and Armenia will be held in either country as part of the normalization process, rather than a third country, Cavusoglu said Türkiye suggested such a move following the first meeting on Jan. 14 in Moscow.

After that meeting, he said Türkiye told Armenia that "there is no need to go to third countries for the meeting, it should be held in either Türkiye or Armenia," while Yerevan said it is not ready for that.

At that first meeting, both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released afterwards.

Saying that Armenia is "a bit hesitant" on the meeting location, Cavusoglu said: "There has been no clear and positive response from Armenia on this issue yet, but in the latest talks, they said it could be held. But, of course, the latest developments with Azerbaijan bothered us. Armenia needs to end these provocations."

Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of large-scale border provocations in recent days, which resulted in fatalities on both sides, including 50 Azerbaijani soldiers and 49 Armenian soldiers, according to official figures. In Monday's attacks by Armenia, two farmers were injured, leaving one in critical condition, according to Azerbaijani authorities.

Cavusoglu reaffirmed that Türkiye will not proceed with the normalization process independently of Azerbaijan, and that Armenia knows it.

"We are sincerely in favor of stability in the South Caucasus and if Armenia is sincere, there can be more positive developments," he added.

Asked whether there would be a meeting with Western ambassadors on unreasonable delays in visas for Turkish citizens, Cavusoglu said: "There are some envoys who are on vacation. We’re awaiting their return.”

Saying that such a meeting would be held after this month’s UN General Assembly, he added: “My colleagues will arrange for ambassadors of Western countries, not just the US. We will convey the necessary warnings. Some countries have begun to accelerate (visa procedures). Problems persist in some countries."

In recent months many Turkish citizens have faced delays in the processing of visa applications, in some cases waiting months to get an appointment date.

- Greece

Asked about Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' remarks on Tuesday challenging Türkiye, Cavusoglu said: "We do not think that we need to even comment on such remarks. We will decide when and where to go."

In a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mitsotakis said, citing an oft-repeated phrase by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "We are waiting for those who threaten to ‘come suddenly one night in our islands’ … (to come) in the light of day."

On Russian gas allegedly being exported via Greece, Cavusoglu called this "typical hypocrisy of Greece."

"On one hand, it complains at every meeting over Türkiye not participating in sanctions against Russia, but on the other hand it aids bypassing these sanctions," he said.

Saying once again that Türkiye will not take part in the sanctions but also not allow the sanctions to be bypassed via Türkiye, Cavusoglu said: "Indeed we do not (allow it). We implement the Montreux Convention."

"We closed our airspace to military planes going to Syria. We openly affirm that we will not allow Ukrainian grain to be sold to us by Russia. We even say that we will not allow ships that shut down the tracking system, except for a technical malfunction, to dock at Turkish ports," he said, adding that Greece is trying hard to bypass sanctions.

Affirming that there is no planned meeting with Greek officials or even any attempts for such a meeting, Cavusoglu said Athens’ real trouble is that they are "disturbed over Türkiye recently becoming a very important actor."

Asked about a call for sanctions on Turkish banks and businesspeople on a website supported by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Cavusoglu said there is a misperception that only Turkish companies are mentioned, but actually companies from many countries, including the US and EU member states, are on the list.

"They've added many companies that do business with Russia. We’re talking about 18,000 people and companies. Of course, our own companies concern us and we made contacts both in Kyiv and here in Ankara on the matter. We asked for it to be corrected as we asked for an explanation. They haven’t responded yet. We’re working on it," he added.

Turning to the UN General Assembly starting next week, and whether there would be a meeting between Turkish and US officials, he said: "There are currently no scheduled meetings but that doesn't mean it won't happen. We will meet at different meetings, we have joint meetings with (US Secretary of State Antony) Blinken and so on. But neither our president with (US President Joe) Biden nor I, with Blinken, are planning a bilateral meeting."