Ankara sends its second high placed female diplomat to Vatican City

While arguments swirl around details of a possible visit to Turkey by Pope Benedict XVI, Ankara has made a very meaningful assigment to its representation in Vatican City. Deniz Kilicer, the head of the Foreign Ministry's Protocol Department, and the first Turkish woman to be given the title of "knight" by Vatican City, began her duties as the Turkish Charge d'Affaires at Turkey's Vatican City Embassy last week.Kilicer's assignment to the posting makes her the second high ranking female diplomat sent to represent Turkey in Vatican City over the past 4 years. The first was now retired Filiz Dincmen, who was Turkey's Ambassador to Vatican City from 2001-2004. It is expected that Kilicer will play an important role in overseeing the protocol attached to President Ahmet Sezer's recent invitiation to Pope Benedict to visit Turkey in 2006. Â