The Turkish embassy in Washington said on Sunday it suspended all visa services at Turkish diplomatic facilities in the United States, after U.S. missions reduced visa services in Turkey.
On Sunday, the U.S. embassy announced the suspension of non-immigrant visa services at the US diplomatic facilities in Turkey over the recent arrest of an employee of the U.S. Consulate General in İstanbul.
"Recent events have forced the Turkish Government to reassess the commitment of the Government of the U.S. to the security of the Turkish Mission facilities and personnel. In order to minimize the number of the visitors to our diplomatic and consular missions in the U.S. while this assessment proceeds, effective immediately we have suspended all visa services regarding the U.S. citizens at our diplomatic and consular missions in the U.S.," the statement said.
The statement added that the move would apply to "sticker visas as well as e-Visas and border visas," leaving open the question of whether U.S. travellers who already have visas would be allowed to enter Turkey.
The Turkish restrictions appeared to go further than a move by the U.S. to suspend the processing of "non-immigrant" visas, a specific category that relates to tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work or study.
The statement also specifically alluded to American citizens applying for visas from within the US and was not clear whether it applied to those applying from other countries.
