The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned diplomats of several Western countries on Thursday to warn them that consulate closures were only serving terrorist agendas, a ministerial source told Sputnik
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned diplomats of several Western countries on Thursday to warn them that consulate closures were only serving terrorist agendas, a ministerial source told Sputnik.
Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have all suspended operations at their consulates in Istanbul this week, citing security concerns, after a series of Quran-burning protests in northern Europe. The United States and several other nations issued travel warnings.
"Our ministry summoned envoys of the US, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy... They were reminded that security of all diplomatic missions in our country is provided based on international conventions," the diplomat said.
The source added that closures and warnings did not constitute a "proportional or commonsense approach and only serve the evil schemes of terrorist organizations." The Western nations were asked to cooperate with Turkish security services.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has accused the West of engaging in "psychological warfare" against his country after it protested the desecration of the holy Muslim book in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. Copies of Quran were set alight in response to Ankara's position on Sweden's NATO membership bid.
