MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay's Senate puts appointment of ambassador to Ankara on hold

Çavuşoğlu said his response was appropriate in light of the protesters' “unpleasant attitudes”

Uruguay's Senate unanimously agreed Tuesday not to move on with its advice and consent regarding the appointment of Hugo Cayrús as the country's next ambassador to Ankara following the embarrassing incidents caused in Montevideo by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

The decision was mooted by Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) opposition Senator Liliam Kechichian, at whose request the Upper House agreed to send the dossier back to the International Affairs Committee.

Cayrús “is a career ambassador of whom we have a high regard, it is rather a reason of opportunity,” explained Kechichian, who has already admitted she would prefer this appointment to be parallel to that of the ambassador to Armenia.

Çavuşoğlu had shown his fingers in a gesture linked with the Turkish far-right group Grey Wolves, to a group of Armenians objecting to his presence in the Uruguayan capital just days before another anniversary of the Armenian genocide perpetrated in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, of which Ankara has admitted to descend.

The Turkish minister was in Montevideo to attend the opening of the new embassy and also to sign documents marking the beginning of negotiations for a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The Senate is now waiting for Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo to report on the current state of relations with Turkey after the incident. Cayrús already appeared weeks ago before the Senate International Affairs Committee to present his curriculum vitae and a work plan.

Earlier this week, Çavuşoğlu maintained his gesture was “the necessary response” to the protesters' “unpleasant attitudes.”

“After these unacceptable and ugly attitudes, we gave the necessary response,” said Çavuşoğlu, according to Turkish media Hurriyet.

The minister also said he did not consider his attitude an insult. “We said that we should look to the future,” he added.