Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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US to Resume Full Visa Services in Turkey

by VOA News

   The United States announced Thursday that full visa services for
   Turkish citizens wishing to travel to the U.S. will resume.

   The U.S. suspended all nonimmigrant visa services in Turkey earlier
   this year, in response to the arrest of Metin Topuz, a U.S. consulate
   employee in Istanbul, on terrorism charges. Turkey shut down visa
   services in the U.S. in retaliation.

   In a statement released Thursday, the State Department said that since
   October, Turkey had adhered to promises that no local employees of the
   embassy were being investigated, that no employees would be detained
   for "performing their official duties," and that the government of
   Turkey would consult with the U.S. before detaining or arresting local
   staff in the future.

   "Based on adherence to these assurances, the Department of State is
   confident that the security posture has improved sufficiently to allow
   for the full resumption of visa services in Turkey," the statement
   read.

   It added that the U.S. continues to "have serious concerns about the
   existing allegations against arrested local employees" of the U.S.
   Mission in Turkey. "We are also concerned about the cases against U.S.
   citizens who have been arrested under the state of emergency," the
   statement said.

   The two nations resumed limited visa services in early November, around
   the time of a visit to Washington by Turkish Prime Minister Binali
   Yildirim, but the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced last week that the
   earliest appointments for applications would be in January 2019, more
   than a year from now.
   Nike Ching contributed to this report from the State Department.