After a U.S. consulate employee was arrested in Istanbul last week, the two countries have suspended visa services concerning non-immigrant travels between Turkey and the United States, which prevents Americans from traveling to Turkey and vice versa.
The United States issued a statement saying that “Recent events have forced the United States government to reassess the commitment of government of Turkey to the security of U.S. mission and personnel.” The same statement was issued by Turkey only 24 hours after the U.S. announcement.
The measure applies to “visas in passports as well as e-Visas and visas acquired at the border,” said the Turkish embassy and is effective immediately. On the other hand, the U.S. move means that Turkish citizens can only obtain a visa if they plan to move to the United States, otherwise they cannot travel to the U.S., reports CNN.
Last week, U.S. consulate employee, Metin Topuz, was accused of staging a coup with the exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, and was soon afterwards arrested, leading to the deterioration of already strained relations between the United States and Turkey.
The U.S. embassy said in a statement that they believed the allegations to be “wholly without merit.”
Turkey has urged the U.S. to extradite Gulen, who was allegedly involved in last year’s failed coup in Turkey. Even though the U.S. was willing to grant Turkey’s demand, as Turkey’s ambassador to Washington said, proceedings were moving slowly.
The diplomatic relations between the two countries significantly worsened in May, when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security attacked protesters outside the residence of the Turkish ambassador. Following the visa restrictions, the Turkish lira plummeted more than 6 percent, but soon after stabilized to 2.8 percent versus the dollar.
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