U.S. Suspends Visa Services in Turkey, and Turkey Responds in Kind<br />8, 2017<br />ISTANBUL — The United States said on Sunday that it was suspending nonimmigrant visa services at its diplomatic facilities<br />in Turkey after the arrest of a consulate employee, prompting Turkey to halt visa services in America.<br />Last week, the Turkish authorities arrested a United States Consulate employee of Turkish nationality over alleged links to the<br />network of the United States-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government blames for last summer’s failed coup.<br />The employee, Metin Topuz, is accused of espionage and "attempting to overthrow the Turkish government and constitution." Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency reported<br />that he was accused of communicating with former police chiefs in a 2013 corruption inquiry, 121 people involved in the attempted coup and hundreds of people using an encrypted mobile messaging app.<br />A brawl during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to Washington in<br />May led to the indictment of 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials.<br />The American statement said the suspension of nonimmigrant visa services was "effective immediately"<br />to minimize visitor numbers to the United States Embassy and Consulate for now.<br />The suspended services will affect visas for business people, tourists, medical patients, students, journalists<br />and treaty trader, as well as diplomatic and official visas.
