Turkey and the United States have resumed processing visa applications on a “limited basis.”
The two countries had suspended the issuance of visas between them in October over a diplomatic dispute stemming from the arrest of a U.S. consulate employee over accusations that he had links to a cleric who had been blamed by the Turkish government for a failed military coup last July. The U.S. embassy in Ankara halted all non-immigrant visa services in Turkey, prompting Turkey to do the same.
According to the latest State Department update, the Department will resume limited visa services in Turkey. The Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC, likewise reports that Turkey will resume processing visa applications of U.S. citizens at its diplomatic and consular missions in the United States on a “limited basis.”
The State Department said that it has received high-level assurances from the Turkish government that no additional employees based in Turkey are under investigation, and that local staff will not be detained or arrested for performing their official duties. The Turkish authorities will also inform the U.S. government in advance if they intend to detain or arrest a local staff member in the future, the State Department said.
“Based on these preliminary assurances, the Department believes the security posture has improved sufficiently to allow for the resumption of limited visa services in Turkey,” the State Department said in a written release. “We are also concerned about the cases against U.S. citizens who have been arrested under the state of emergency. U.S. officials will continue to engage with their Turkish counterparts to seek a satisfactory resolution of these cases.”
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