UK Edition
Diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara deepens as Turkish authorities detain second US consulate worker
A diplomatic row between the US and Turkey deepened on Monday as Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant for a second US consulate worker.
The warrant was issued scarcely 24 hours after the US announced it would suspend all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic outposts in Turkey.
Ankara responded with a similar statement suspending non-immigrant visas at its Washington embassy.
The spat has strained relations between the Nato allies and threatened to disrupt travel for thousands of Turkish and American citizens.
It has also spooked investors. The Turkish lira dropped 2.4 per cent and shares in Turkey’s national airline and the country’s BIST stock index plummeted.
The US decision to suspend visas came less than a week after a US consulate worker in Istanbul was detained by the Turkish security services on suspicion of links to Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric Ankara blames for last year’s attempted coup.
John Bass, US ambassador to Ankara, said American officials had been given no reason for the arrest or told of any evidence against the staff member.
“This arrest has raised questions about whether the goal of some officials is to disrupt the long-standing co-operation between Turkey and the United States,” he said. “If true, this would put the people who work with, and work at, and visit our diplomatic facilities at risk.”
On Monday authorities summoned a second worker to testify over his relatives' alleged links to last year's failed coup attempt, state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Anadolu said the suspect was wanted for questioning after his wife and daughter were detained in the Black Sea city of Amasya.
It did not say whether he had complied with the summons.
"US consulate worker N.M.C., husband and father of the suspects in question, has no diplomatic immunity and has been called to the prosecutor's office to testify," Anadolu quoted a statement from the Istanbul prosecutor's office as saying.
On Monday the Turkish foreign ministry urged the US to lift the suspension, saying it was causing "unnecessary tensions".
Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said Turkey was willing to address Washington’s security concerns, but defended the arrests.
"Trying a Turkish citizen for a crime committed in Turkey is our right," he said.
The row comes as US and Turkish relations are being tested on multiple fronts.
In Syria, Mr Erdogan has made no secret of his fury over US backing for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a majority-Kurdish fighting group he regards as terrorists.
Further west, the Turkish military is currently poised to roll into Idlib province in Syria to implement a de-escalation deal, which could involve them working with an al-Qaeda group the US has labelled a terrorist organisation.
More broadly, US-Turkey relations have still not recovered from the 2016 attempted coup and its aftermath.
Turkey’s response drew strong criticism stateside, with many accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating massive purges to remove dissent to his rule.
More than 40,000 people were arrested and more than 120,000 were removed from their jobs, including academics, journalists and public sector workers.
In May, relations deteriorated further after the US levied criminal charges at members of Mr Erdogan’s security detail after they clashed with demonstrators in Washington.
Turkish business association TUSAID called for a prompt resolution to the crisis, saying the ban will affect economic, social, cultural and academic relations between the two countries.
The two countries also have critical military ties, with Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base home to a major US military installation that plays a central role in the war on Isil.