U.S. promises expanded visa services in Turkey after Ankara criticism
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[August 24, 2022]
By Humeyra Pamuk
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The United States
promised on Wednesday to expand its visa processing capacity in Turkey,
moving to defuse a dispute that has threatened to further strain already
difficult relations between the NATO allies.
U.S. visa applicants in Turkey have been facing enormous delays, with
wait times for an appointment extending up to 15 months. It is part of a
global bottleneck in U.S. visa services after Washington halted almost
all visa processing worldwide in March 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday accused the
United States and also some European nations of intentionally drawing
out their visa application process, calling it an effort to embarrass
President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party ahead of elections in Turkey
next year.
The U.S. State Department indicated that Washington did not want the
issue to escalate.
"We have no desire for this to be an irritant in our bilateral
relationship," a State Department official said in an emailed response
to Reuters' questions.
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With the opening of a new U.S. embassy compound in Ankara, Washington
will be resuming routine non-immigrant visa appointments there, the
official added.
"Mission Turkiye has been working very hard to overcome delays, and we
are very pleased that the newly completed U.S. Embassy compound in
Ankara will enable us to expand our visa processing capacity," the
official said.
TESTY TIES
Bilateral relations have been strained in recent years over a range of
issues including Turkey's decision to buy Russian missile defence
systems. With the war in Ukraine, Washington has grown more concerned
about Ankara's ties with Moscow and has warned of Turkish firms becoming
embroiled in Western sanctions against Russia.
In his comments on Tuesday, Cavusoglu suggested the delays in issuing
visas to Turks were politically motivated.
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Turkey and U.S. flags are seen in this
picture illustration taken August 25, 2018. Picture taken August 25,
2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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"We see that they are doing it deliberately. This is how our people
see it too. We consider these as the steps taken to put the AK Party
government in a difficult situation before the election," he told
Turkish broadcaster Haber Global.
"I don't believe in COVID, personnel excuses....If they wanted to,
they could solve it very easily," Cavusoglu said.
Asked about the comments, the State Department official said: "We
accept FM Cavusoglu’s expression of concern that this is an issue of
frustration for Turkiye."
Cavusoglu threatened to impose counter-measures against Western
countries soon if the visa issue remains unresolved.
"At the beginning of September, our colleagues will call the
ambassadors of these Western countries to the ministry, and they
will make the necessary warnings. If it does not improve after that,
we will also take counter, restrictive measures," he said.
Cavusoglu raised the visa issue with U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken in May in New York. They discussed the matter again by phone
this month.
Before the pandemic in 2019, the United States issued more than
85,000 non-immigrant visas in Turkey but that figure had dropped to
below 20,000 in 2021.
The U.S. official said wait times might decrease with the planned
addition of new processing capacity.
"Applicants should monitor our website to view current visa wait
times... Those with existing appointments may reschedule them
through the website if an earlier appointment is available."
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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