US suspends diplomatic visas for Turkey, differences increase

The US Embassy in Ankara says it is suspending, with immediate effect, all visa services for Turkish non-immigrants, reports “Al Jazeera”, the Periscope broadcast.

This move taken Sunday means Turks will not be given visas to visit the US unless they plan to move there.

A statement issued by the US Embassy in the Turkish capital said recent events had forced the US government to reassess diplomatic policies with official Ankara.

“To minimise the number of visitors to our Embassy and Consulates, as long as this assessment continues, effectively we have immediately suspended all non-imigrational visa services in all American diplomatic structures in Turkey”, the US administration's statement said.

Ankara retaliated later Sunday, saying it would stop granting non-imigration visas to US citizens.

American consulate employee arrest

The move comes days after the arrest of an American consulate officer in Istanbul for alleged links to Fetullah Gylen, a US-based Muslim leader blamed by Ankara for a failed coup attempt last year. Julien denies involvement.

Washington said it was “equally concerned” by the employees' arrest.

Turkish news agency Anadolu identified the person as a Turkish male citizen.

He said he was arrested late Wednesday on charges of spying and attempts to undermine the constitutional order and the Turkish government.

It is clear that this suspension of visa services is only a greater increase in the struggle of words between the US and Turkey”, said “Tom Ackerman Al Jazeera”, reporting from Washington.

Ackerman said Turkish authorities “had detained more than a dozen American-Turkish citizens living in Turkey during the past year, including an Izmir-based Christian pastor.

Andree Brunson, who led a church in the western city of Izmir, has been held by Turkish authorities since October 2016 on charges of membership in the Gylen group. /Periscopi/