MESOP NEWS : TURKEY NOT A TRIBAL STATE – Turkish PM Urges Resolution to Visa Dispute with US

Tuesday, 10 October, 2017 – Asharq Al-Awsat – Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim urged on Tuesday an end to the dispute with the United States over the recent suspension of visa services between the two countries.”Turkey is not a tribal state, we will retaliate against what has been done in kind,” Yildirim told ruling AK Party parliamentarians.”We call on the United States to be more reasonable. The issue must of course be resolved as soon as possible,” he said, describing US behavior as “unbecoming” of an ally.

“Who are you punishing? You are making your citizens and ours pay the price, this is not being serious. You can’t run a country with emotional decisions,” the PM added.

The US embassy in Ankara said on Sunday night it was suspending non-immigrant visa services after the arrest of a locally employed US consulate employee in Istanbul last week.

The employee was detained on charges of espionage and alleged ties to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen’s movement. Turkey retaliated by halting visas services in the US.

Yildirim also slammed Washington for the arrest of a Turkish banker for his alleged role in helping Iran escape US sanctions, and for its failure to extradite Gulen, who Turkey says was behind last year’s failed coup. Gulen has denied involvement.Yildirim said his country does not need Washington’s permission to prosecute its citizens.

“Turkey is a state of law. … Were we to seek the permission of the (US) gentlemen?”

On Tuesday, Turkish police launched an operation to arrest 70 soldiers accused of links to Gulen, the private Dogan news agency reported. Operations targeting Gulen supporters are continuing on a daily basis some 15 months after the failed putsch. In the last week alone, around 800 people were held over alleged ties to him. www.mesop.de