Turkey, Lebanon FMs discuss J’lem in phone conversation

By Wasim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday spoke with Lebanese counterpart Gibran Bassil with whom he discussed means of "discouraging" the planned relocation of several foreign embassies to Jerusalem.

This came during a telephone call Bassil received from Cavusoglu, according to a statement issued by Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry.

The ministry noted that the two FMs had discussed joint measures that might be taken with a view to dissuading certain states from relocating their respective embassies to Jerusalem or recognizing the city as Israel’s capital.

Cavusoglu and Bassil also reportedly discussed recent developments in the region, including Syria, and bilateral relations between their two countries.

Last November, Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro announced his intention to relocate his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with the Czech Republic following suit shortly afterward.

So far, the U.S. and Guatemala are the only two states to have officially relocated their embassies to Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Authority, the Cairo-based Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have all urged world capitals not to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or transfer their embassies to the city.