Status: 02/02/2023 1:40 p.m
Several diplomatic missions in Turkey remain closed – the Foreign Office warns that there are “precise indications” of possible attacks. Interior Minister Soylu sees the move as an attempt at sabotage by the West.
Turkey’s Interior Minister, Süleyman Soylu, has interpreted the closure of several European missions in the country for security reasons as a conspiracy allegedly to harm a recovery of the country’s tourism sector after the coronavirus pandemic. The West is about to start a “new psychological war,” Soylu said in a speech.
The states warned of attacks last Friday – of all days, on a day when Turkey had set itself the goal of attracting 60 million tourists a year and thus taking in 46 billion dollars, according to Soylu. The aim of the alleged conspiracy is to “overshadow Turkey’s stability and peace,” according to his Twitter account.
No all-clear from the Foreign Office
Last week, Germany, the USA and several other European countries warned their citizens of an increased risk of attacks in Turkey. The background is Islamophobic actions in Europe such as the burning of the Koran in Sweden.
The German consulate general in Istanbul closed on Thursday for security reasons. Other representations also took this step – including the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul and the Embassy in Ankara, the Swiss Embassy and Consulate in Istanbul and the British and French Consulates General in Istanbul.
The Federal Foreign Office has not yet given the all-clear – including Friday, the Consulate General in Istanbul was closed, it said in a message to citizens living in Turkey.
“Precise and concrete instructions”
There are “precise and concrete” indications of a threat, especially in the Beyoglu inner-city district of Istanbul, the Istiklal shopping street and Taksim Square, as well as in the Levent district, where many consulates are located. The statement did not indicate which groups are at risk.
In November, a bomb attack on Istiklal, in the heart of the city, killed six and wounded several others. Turkish authorities blamed Kurdish militants for the attack. Several consulates are located near the shopping street.