ISTANBUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) It is difficult to call the countries that decided to close their consulates in Istanbul because of an alleged terrorist attack threat, allies and friends, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
This week, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have all suspended operations at their consulates in Istanbul, citing security concerns, after a series of Quran-burning protests in northern Europe. The United States and several other nations issued travel warnings.
"They talk about a terrorist threat. If there is such a threat, if we are allies, would it be wrong to share intelligence with us? We are told that they have specific information about the threat. Where it comes from, who will commit, there is no information about these details. Neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor our intelligence has any information that our partners shared with us. And what happens if there is an attack? Are you thinking only about yourself?" Cavusoglu said at a press conference with Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero in Istanbul.
According to the minister, the closure of consulates pursues certain goals.
"We told the ambassadors about it yesterday.... This is inappropriate behavior of alliance partners. Especially ahead of the elections, when they try to put us in a difficult position. Our people knows the goals perfectly well. We conveyed all the necessary messages to the diplomats yesterday," Cavusoglu said.
