US diplomatic team in Ankara to resolve visa crisis

The US mission will be led by Jonathan Cohen, deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs at the State Department, Anadolu reported.

The sides will meet on Tuesday, the Turkish official said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Last week, both countries suspended the issuing of non-immigrant visas from missions on each other’s territory.

The breakdown followed the Oct. 6 arrest of Metin Topuz, a Turkish employee at the US consulate in Istanbul, on suspicion of ties to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, said to have orchestrated last year’s attempted coup in Turkey.

The crisis coincided with the planned replacement of US Ambassador John Bass, who left Turkey at the weekend. The US will be represented in Turkey by Deputy Chief of Mission Philip Kosnett until a new ambassador is appointed.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had spoken to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by telephone to work out an end to the dispute. Seperately, Ahmet Muhtar Gun, deputy undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, met Bass.

/SR