Turkey's fury at 'insulting' picture of Obama holding baseball bat as he talks on phone to country's leader

President Obama has been criticised by Turkish lawmakers over a White House photograph showing him speaking on the phone with the prime minister of Turkey while wielding a baseball bat.

The odd image shows the president seated at his desk holding a bat autographed by baseball great Hank Aaron while talking with Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan about the crisis in Syria. Political figures in Turkey have interpreted the picture as vaguely menacing and branded it 'insulting'. 'The photo reveals from whom our prime minister receives orders to rule the country,' Metin Lutfi Baydar, a lawmaker with Turkey's main opposition party, said.

Some newspapers took a more light-hearted approach to the diplomatic snafu, with columnist Ahmet Hakan of Hurriyet writing: ‘We need to do something - retaliation seems to be the most reasonable method.’‘Our prime minister needs to hold something in his hand as he's calling Obama,’ he added, suggesting as possible candidates a slipper, a belt or a rolling pin.

But Erdogan dismissed the spat, calling Obama 'a friend who never falls short of respect or politeness'. When asked about possible hidden meanings in the photo, White House secretary Jay Carney said that the president was an avid baseball fan and long-time supporter of the Chicago White Sox. White House spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a brief written statement on Friday that her department had seen the commentary and speculation about the photo in the Turkish media.

We released the photo with only one purpose in mind, to highlight the President's continuing close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan and draw attention to the important conversation they had about the worsening situation in Syria,' she said. 'The President values his friendship and close partnership with Prime Minister Erdogan on a range of important issues on which the United States cooperates with Turkey,' she added. Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated after the Syrians downed a Turkish plane earlier this summer.

U.S. and Turkey have enjoyed a unique, if unlikely relationship, which has developed and grown closer over the past few years as the leaders of the two nations worked together on resolving crises in Egypt, Libya and Syria.