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Turkey summons German envoy over consulate closure

Several European countries, including Germany, temporarily shut their consulates in Istanbul this week, citing security concerns. Turkey says they are waging “psychological warfare.”

The Turkish government on Friday issued a strong reproach to foreign diplomatic missions that issued terrorist threat warnings after Quran burnings at protests abroad over Ankara’s policy towards NATO expansion, Deutsche Welle reports.

“If they want to create the image that Turkey is unstable and that there is a danger of terrorism, then that is incompatible with friendship and partnership,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after summoning Germany’s ambassador — the ninth envoy to receive a summons this week.
On Thursday, Turkey summoned several ambassadors following the temporary closure of a number of European consulates in Istanbul.

According to a diplomatic source cited by the AFP news agency, envoys from Germany, Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States were called to attend a meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

Germany shut its Istanbul consulate on Wednesday, citing a heightened risk of terror attacks following Quran-burning incidents in some European countries. At least six other countries took the same step as a precaution.

The US consulate remains open, as the complex is not in Istanbul’s city center and is therefore considered to be a less vulnerable target. Washington has, however, joined a number of other governments in issuing travel warnings advising citizens to be vigilant and avoid tourist hotspots.

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