Statement on the closure of consulates in the US
Following the tension between Turkey and Sweden and the burning of the Holy Quran by far-right politician Rasmus Paludan in Sweden and Denmark, the consulates general of Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain announced their closure due to a possible terrorist threat.
While this issue was also on the US agenda, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel responded to questions at the press conference. Patel said: “After the Netherlands, the German and British consulate generals in Istanbul were closed today with security threats. The last update was made 2 days ago in the USA and operations continue at the Consulate General. Have you contacted the Turkish authorities? Has there been any intelligence sharing on this issue or how long will the security threat last?
“THE TURKISH AUTHORITIES ARE INVESTIGATION”
Patel said: “First of all, I would like to say that our Consulate General in Istanbul is open and still running. The statements by the ministers of other countries refer to their own diplomatic representations in Turkey. The US Department of State puts the safety of its citizens abroad above all else. Earlier this week and over the weekend, US representatives in Turkey warned US citizens against potential terrorist attacks.
Noting that there were warnings about certain places in Istanbul, Patel said: “The Turkish authorities are investigating the issue and we recommend that you speak to them for more information on the matter.”
MINISTER SOYLU SAID “PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR”
While the US authorities announced that the Turkish authorities were investigating, Interior Minister Soylu reacted yesterday to the closure of the consulates.
Soylu said: “On a day when we set a target of 60 million tourists, and on a day when we announced that we have achieved a tourism revenue of $46 billion, they launched a new psychological war against Turkey. The ambassadors who signed the text when they couldn’t get the people they wanted out of jail, the ambassadors who wanted to do a legal operation in Turkey, are now trying to do a terrorist operation in Turkey. “We are facing an international operation,” he said.