Turkey renames embassy street after diplomatic row with UAE

ANKARA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Tuesday renamed the street on which the United Arab Emirates' embassy stands, after a diplomatic row between the two countries over an Ottoman governor.

Under a decision by the Ankara Municipality, the 613th Street has been named after Fahreddin Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Medina from 1916-1919. The 609th Avenue in front of the embassy has been renamed "Medine Mudafii," meaning "the defender of Medina."

Last month, the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan retweeted a post that accused the Fahreddin Pasha and his Ottoman forces of stealing manuscripts from the holy city of Medina during World War One, saying those people were "ancestors" of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The remarks drew harsh criticism from Turkish politicians, with Erdogan stressing it was not steal but "protecting the holy relics of the Prophet Mohamed" from British invasion of Hejaz -- present day western Saudi Arabia.

The UAE Charge D'Affaires in Ankara was also summoned to Turkey's Foreign Ministry and informed about Turkey's concern over the remarks targeting Fahreddin Pasha. Enditem