Joint Greek-Jewish diaspora meeting in the works: report

ISTANBUL

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon attends an interview with Reuters at the 48th Conference on Security Policy in Munich February 3, 2012. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Greek and Israeli lobby groups are planning to organize a joint Greek-Jewish diaspora meeting, Zeynep Gürcanlı of daily Hürriyet reported.
 
Foreign Ministry officials from Greece and Israel attended a meeting in Israel to find ways to improve relations as a result of a Greek initiative that recently brought the two lobbies closer. 
 
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Demetri Dollis and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who severely damaged Turkish-Israeli bilateral ties when he humiliated a visiting Turkish official, were also present at the event.
 
The meeting ended with a decisive plan to organize a joint meeting in June, Hürriyet reported.
 
Relations between Turkey and Israel went from bad to worse when Ayalon invited the then-Turkish ambassador and forced him to sit in a lower chair while explaining to representatives of local TV stations in Hebrew that the humiliation was intentional.
 
The incident caused Turkey to threaten to recall the ambassador if no apology was delivered. An apology was soon received, ending the crisis.