Turkey summons 9 Western ambassadors over safety alerts By Reuters

By Huseyin Hayatsever and Ezgi Erkoyun

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey summoned ambassadors of 9 Western international locations together with the USA and Sweden on Thursday to criticise their choices to briefly shut diplomatic missions and problem safety alerts following Koran-burning incidents in Europe.

The envoys of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Britain had been additionally summoned, in keeping with international ministry sources in Ankara.

During the last two weeks, far-right activists burned copies of the Muslim holy guide, the Koran, in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, acts that prompted Turkey to halt negotiations meant to elevate its objections to Sweden and Finland becoming a member of NATO.

The European international locations have denounced the incidents however some say they can not forestall them due to free speech guidelines.

During the last week, France, Germany, Italy and the USA had been amongst these issuing warnings to their residents of an elevated danger of assaults in Turkey, notably in opposition to diplomatic missions and non-Muslim locations of worship.

Germany, France and the Netherlands had been amongst international locations that briefly closed diplomatic missions in Turkey for safety causes this week. Some cited central Istanbul areas of excessive concern however didn’t present the supply of the data.

“Such simultaneous actions don’t represent a proportional and commonsense strategy and…solely serve the covert agenda of terrorist organizations,” stated a international ministry supply who requested to not be additional recognized.

The supply added that the safety of all diplomatic missions is ensured in accordance with worldwide conventions and “allies ought to cooperate with” Turkish authorities.

The inside minister, Suleyman Soylu, stated on Twitter the embassies had been waging “a brand new psychological conflict” in opposition to Turkey.

All 30 NATO members should approve newcomers. Sweden and Finland utilized for membership final 12 months within the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, however bumped into shock resistance from Turkey.

Since then they’ve sought to win its backing together with agreeing to take a tougher line domestically in opposition to these Turkey says are members of the Kurdistan Employees’ Occasion, the PKK, designated a terrorist group by Ankara and the European Union.

On Thursday, police in NATO member Norway banned a deliberate anti-Islam protest together with the burning of the Koran for safety causes, hours after the Turkish international ministry summoned Oslo’s ambassador to complain.

Diplomatic tensions rose final weekend when Turkey responded to the preliminary U.S. safety alert by warning its residents in opposition to “doable Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist assaults” in the USA and Europe.

The U.S. embassy confirmed its Ambassador Jeffry Flake attended a gathering at Turkey’s international ministry on Thursday. Two European diplomatic sources stated envoys from Germany, France and the Netherlands had been additionally summoned.