WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday voiced his concern over detentions of US Consulate employees and US nationals in Turkey and asked Ankara to substantiate its accusations, the State Department spokeswoman said.
"Secretary Tillerson conveyed his profound concern over the detentions of Turkish national employees of our diplomatic mission to Turkey and of several American citizens. Secretary Tillerson emphasized the importance of transparency in the accusations made by the Turkish government and the need for the Turkish government to present the evidence behind these accusations," Heather Nauert said.
The US embassy suspended non-immigrant visa services at the US diplomatic facilities in Turkey last week over the detention of a Turkish employee of the US Consulate General in Istanbul on suspicion that he was linked to an expat cleric accused of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt. An arrest warrant for another Turkish staffer was reportedly issued days later. In response, Turkish authorities decided to suspend US visa applications.
