Boris wins Turkish hearts and minds

The visit by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to Ankara was bound to be one of the most difficult in his career.

I can just about imagine my acquaintances at the British embassy cringing prior to the visit, not to mention the jokes flying from room to room.

Eyes here in Turkey and the United Kingdom were on him to see how he would wheedle his way out of a very difficult situation, as he faced tough questions about the way he used Turkey as a scarecrow during his Brexit campaign. 

Basically, what he was saying then was that the EU would be admitting Turkey as a member at some stage, which would flood Britain with millions of unemployed Anatolians, who would then undercut the labor market and take away good old British jobs. 

(To his credit, he did not use the "Islamic card" then, given that his own grandfather, an Ottoman Turk, was a Muslim, and that there are millions of Muslims in Britain that he had to avoid offending.)

And then there was the much publicized "limerick" affair involving a goat. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not known to take kindly to such things. People have landed in jail in this country for lesser jibes, especially if they are rude and crude. 

How could Boris have known, though, that not long after winning the Spectator's "Most Offensive Erdoğan Limerick Contest" he would be facing the man himself? This must be divine intervention of some sort. 
Fortunately for him, though, "Turkish hospitality" kicked in and ensured that the "honored guest" was not unduly embarrassed. Turkish journalists are also more restrained than their British counterparts in such cases. 

They also ensured that Boris did not have to run the gauntlet the way he would have in his own country, where...