US operations, staff in Turkey unaffected by visa row

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

An ongoing diplomatic row between the U.S. and Turkey has not affected American operations or personnel in Turkey, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

"The Turkish Air Force base in Incirlik continues to fulfill an important role supporting NATO and coalition efforts," spokesman Col. Rob Manning told reporters.

"Coalition counter-ISIS operations out of Incirlik and other Turkish facilities are closely coordinated with and have the full support of our Turkish partners," he added, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, another name for Daesh.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Sunday announced the suspension of non-immigration visas for Turkish nationals following the arrest of a Turkish employee at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul.

In a retaliatory move, Turkey's Washington Embassy also suspended non-immigrant visa services, saying, "Recent events have forced Turkish Government to reassess the commitment of the Government of the United States to the security of Turkish Mission facilities and personnel."

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador John Bass announced the visa suspension and issued a video Monday discussing his decision, but there has yet to be any official comment from Washington.

“I personally find it odd that high-level U.S. officials did not conduct any means of communication with our foreign minister. It is concerning for an Ankara ambassador to take such a decision then claim he took it ‘in the name of my country’,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.

Erdogan warned that Turkish-U.S. ties could be further damaged if U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration played a role in the visa decision.

If the decision was made after discussion with senior officials, “then we have nothing to discuss with the administration", he said.