Turkish media say authorities are questioning the wife and son of a US consulate worker being sought in Istanbul by police. Ankara has also reportedly summoned a US diplomat in a row over visa services.
Advertisement
NATO partners adrift: USA and Turkey
Turkish-US relations have soured despite President Donald Trump's hosting of his "friend" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington in May. DW traces what led to the allies having their worst spat in five decades.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
Jovial gestures belie multiple disputes
May 16, 2017: Trump welcomes Erdogan to Washington, saying both presidents have a "great relationship" and would make it "even better." Erdogan congratulates Trump on his "legendary" 2016 election win but complains bitterly about US arming of the Kurdish YPG militia, claiming that its inclusion in the US-led campaign against IS in in war-torn Syria provides a cover for Kurdish separatism.
Image: Reuters/K.Lamarque
Melee becomes further irritant
May 17: As Erdogan ends his visit, Voice of America video footage emerges showing his guards assaulting Kurdish protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington. A month later, US authorities issue arrest warrants for 12 members of Erdogan's security detail, who had long returned to Turkey. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the assaults breached "legitimate" free speech.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/Voice of America
First anniversary of coup attempt
July 15, 2017: Turkey marks the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt. In a post-coup bid crackdown 50,000 people were arrested, accused of links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Erdogan ally-turned-rival. Tens of thousands more face job suspensions. The refusal of the US to extradite Gulen has been a major sore spot in relations.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/M. Cetinmuhurdar
Turkey 'uneasy' about US arming of Kurdish militia
August 23: US Defense Secretary James Mattis visits Ankara as the Pentagon stresses US commitment to bilateral relations and "honest dialogue." Mattis had just visited Iraq to assess the anti-IS campaign. Erdogan tells Turkish media that Turkey will thwart any attempt by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to establish a "terror corridor" in northern Syria through to the Mediterranean.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/K. Ozer
Turkey arrests US consulate employee
October 5: Turkish authorities arrest Metin Topuz, a Turkish national employed at the US consulate in Istanbul. He is formally charged with espionage and collaboration in the 2016 coup attempt. The US embassy in Ankara subsequently says it is "deeply disturbed" by the arrest. It's reportedly the second since March, when a Turkish US consulate employee was arrested in Adana.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Elden
US and Turkey suspend their respective visa services
October 8-9: The United States suspends its issuance of non-immigrant visa applications to Turkish nationals, saying it has to "reassess" Turkish readiness to respect security at US diplomatic missions. Turkey suspends its visa services for US nationals and summons another staffer at the US consulate in Istanbul.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa,AP
Attempts to make amends
November 6: The US Embassy in Ankara announces that it is reinstating its visa program for Turkish tourists on a "limited" basis after receiving assurances from the government that no employees will be detained "for carrying out official duties." Shortly thereafter, Turkey confirms that it is also resuming visa services for US citizens one day before Prime Minister Yildirim visits Washington.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. Ozbilici
At odds over Russian missiles
December through August, 2018: In December, Turkey announced it would buy the Russian S-400 missile system, which is incompatable with NATO systems. The US Congress has included a provision in a defense bill that would cut Turkey out of the F-35 fighter jet program if it moves forward with the S-400 deal.
Image: Getty Images/S. Barbour
Release the pastor ... or else
August 1, 2018: The US sanctions Turkey's interior and justice ministers over the continued detention of pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson had been moved from prison to house arrest in late July, but that fell short of US demands for his immediate release and end to terror and espionage charges. Brunson was arrested almost two years ago.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP Photo/E. Tazegul
9 images1 | 9
Turkey has issued an arrest warrant for another US consulate worker, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported Monday.
The family members of the worker were being questioned although Turkey's justice ministry said it had no information about a new warrant being issued. NTV said the Turkish national consulate worker was still being sought by security officials.
Turkish media reported that the consulate worker was staying at the Istanbul consulate, fearful of arrest if he left.
The reports follow the arrest in Istanbul last week of a local US consulate employee, a Turkish national named as Metin Topuz. The detention triggered a diplomatic row as US and Turkish missions each cut back visa services.
Turkish foreign ministry sources said the US mission's second-in-charge, Philip Kosnett, had been summoned to the ministry.
Turkey demands US rethink
Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul told A Haber television on Monday that he hoped Washington would review its decision to suspend visa services to Turkish citizens wanting to visit and study in the United States.
Gul said the case against Topuz was one for the Turkish judiciary to pursue.
"Trying a Turkish citizen for a crime committed in Turkey is our right. I hope the US will revise its decision in this light," Gul said.
The US embassy said it was "deeply disturbed" by his arrest.
Ambassador John Bass said his embassy had been unable to learn the reasons for last week's arrest or what evidence existed against the US consulate employee.
Business confidence shaken
The diplomatic spat spooked investors. The Turkish lira dropped 3.4 percent and Turkey's main BIST 100 stock index fell, closing the day down 2.73 percent. Especially hard hit were airline shares. Turkish Airlines fell 9 percent.
Turkey's TUSIAD business association warned that the dispute would harm bilateral economic, social and cultural ties, and called for disagreements to be settled calmly.
Sinan Ulgen, an analyst and former Turkish diplomat, said a crisis of confidence had emerged that was not solely a reaction to the detentions of US consulate employees.
"This harshness is a result of a build-up," Ulgen told Reuters.
Photographers capture Turkey's unrest and upheavals
The exhibition "Türkiyeli" at Berlin gallery "f hoch drei" shows the work of seven contemporary Turkish photographers. Their critical reflection on hot topics such as refugees and protests express the turmoil in Turkey.
Image: Ceren Saner
Between art and documentation
The range of themes covered in the exhibition is huge: refugees, the war in Syria, police violence in the Kurdish areas of Turkey, the construction boom and gender issues. Kürşad Bayhan's photos of bottles that have been decorated by Kurdish women symbolize the war-like conditions in southeastern Turkey.
Image: Kürşat Bayhan
The Human Chain of Suruç
Magnum photographer Emin Özmen focuses on the conditions in the Kurdish regions of Turkey. "Turkey's Hidden Wars" is the title of his black-and-white series. His works show water cannons and tear gas being used by the police and he captures curfew hours. His photo from January 2015 (above) shows Kurds forming a human chain in Suruç to support Kurdish fighters battling the "Islamic State" (IS).
Image: Magnum/Emin Özmen
Celebration despite war
Thousands of people came to the Newroz new year's festival in Suruç in March 2015, which took place despite the war. Above, men take a break during their journey. Suruç became a symbol of resistance to the IS. Emin Özmen considers his work to be like a documentary: "In order to find solutions to the massive problems in our region, we need to have a detailed picture of what is happening."
Image: Magnum/Emin Özmen
Refugees from Kobane
In his series "Moving Portraits," Barbaros Kayan focuses on the fears of refugees from Kobane who were being housed in camps in Turkey. He wanted to find out what happens when these people return to their home countries. Kayan traveled to Syria and documented the destruction and devastation there.
Image: Barbaros Kayan
New conceptual imagery
Barbaros Kayan also photographed Syrians living in the Turkish refugee camps as part of the series. He placed their silhouettes on photos of their hometowns, creating compositions that confront the viewer with new visual themes.
Image: Barbaros Kayan
Gentrification in Istanbul
Göksu Baysal mainly focuses on the construction boom and gentrification, especially in Istanbul, in his series "Istanbul Reloaded." The pictures depict violence against nature and highlight the rising demand for energy caused by the aggressive building boom.
Image: Göksu Baysal
Monotonous gray
Under the pretext of making the city safer against earthquakes, a program called "urban renewal" is replacing historic neighborhoods with gray landscapes built of concrete. The local population is often too poor to afford these new apartments and as a result is usually driven out of these areas.
Image: Göksu Baysal
Gezi - from protest to civil movement
What started as a protest against the building boom in Istanbul turned into the Gezi Park demonstrations of summer 2013. In his picture series called "Gezi," Kemal Aslan addresses the resistance of the population against the arbitrariness of the political system. For several weeks, thousands of people in Istanbul demonstrated for freedom and against oppression by institutions.
Image: Kemal Aslan
Women between autonomy and oppression
Since the Gezi protests, the role of civil society has become more prominent, and in particular the role of women. At the same time, however, violence against and murders of women continue to increase steadily. Emine Akbaba's series "Precious Blossom" focuses on women who are unable to free themselves from oppression.
Image: Emine Akbaba
Women as victims of violence
In international comparison, violence against women is extremely high in Turkey. Every other woman reports that she has been harassed on at least one occasion. Between 2010 and 2016, more than 1,600 women were murdered in the country. Emine Akbaba, winner of several photography awards, tries to raise awareness through her work about women's rights, gender equality, and freedom of expression.
Image: Emine Akbaba
'Isn't it love?'
Turkey's LGBT movement has also gained more attention since the start of the Gezi protests. "Isn't it love?" is the title of the series that Ceren Saner produced, which highlights images taken at queer parties. In this photo compilation, Saner questions the nature of love - not sexuality. In Turkey, the series is only shown during the Pride Week or at private events.