US resumes limited visa services in Turkey
The United States says it will resume visa services on a limited basis in Turkey following nearly a month-long suspension following a diplomatic row between the two NATO members.
The US embassy in Ankara announced its decision in an email on Monday, in what could signal a tentative improvement in the ongoing diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
The Turkish foreign ministry said it may reciprocate the move by Washington and partially ease issuance of visas for American citizens.
Washington’s decision to stop issuing US visas for Turkish citizens took effect from October 8 and was followed by a tit-for-tat move by Ankara to stop giving Turkish visas to Americans.
The US embassy made the move after one of the Turkish staffers at the US consulate in Istanbul was arrested.
The employee was charged with links to US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for last year's failed coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The employee remains in jail.
Ankara has also pressed Washington for the extradition of Gulen, who is based in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, and has denied any link to the failed coup.
Turkey, which remains in a state of emergency since the coup, has been engaged in suppressing the media and opposition groups suspected of having played a role in the failed coup.
Turkey and the US have also been at odds over America’s support for Kurdish forces operating in northern Syria.
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