Turkey's MFA summons US embassy undersecretary, calls for an end to visa dispute

The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. embassy undersecretary Monday and asked for the reversal of the decision to suspend visa procedures for Turkish citizens, while calling for an immediate end to the dispute.

Undersecretary Philip Kosnett was summoned to the ministry and told Turkey expects the U.S. to reverse the decision to make sure that it does not cause further tension between the two countries and troubles for citizens.

Diplomatic sources noted that Kosnett was summoned instead of Ambassador John Bass, who was out of the capital.

Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ümit Yalçın had a phone call with Ambassador Bass regarding the matter.

The U.S. embassy in Ankara suspended all non-immigrant visa services in its diplomatic facilities in Turkey after the arrest of one of its employees over the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) ties.

Turkey retaliated by halting visa applications from the U.S.

Metin Topuz, a Turkish employee working in the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul was arrested on charges of espionage and links to FETÖ, the group blamed for the July 15, 2016 coup attempt that killed 249 people in Turkey.

According to the indictment, the suspect was in contact with a number of former police chiefs in Istanbul where he worked, and all those police chiefs involved in the 2013 coup attempts were FETÖ members in the judiciary and law enforcement.