A diplomatic sparring match has erupted between the United States and Turkey, testing the boundaries of an already unsteady alliance. The U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced on Oct. 8 that it was suspending all nonimmigrant visa services until it could "reassess" the commitment of the Turkish government to the security of U.S. personnel. Hours later, the Turkish Embassy in Washington issued a similar statement, declaring it would no longer process any nonimmigrant visas for U.S. citizens to Turkey.
The retaliatory measures come as bitterness simmers over Turkish government requests to extradite Gulen in exchange for an American pastor held in Turkey since Oct. 2016 — and U.S. refusals to comply. More important, Turkey has long been critical of U.S. support for Kurdish militant groups battling the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The more immediate trigger for the diplomatic disturbance, however, was Turkey's arrest of Metin Topuz, a Turkish national working in the U.S. Consulate.
The Turkish government suspected Topuz of having links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup attempt. Turkish officials also suspect Topuz of helping indict Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-born Turkish businessman arrested in the United States on charges of using the U.S. banking system to help Iran evade sanctions. On Oct. 9, Turkey issued a warrant for another U.S. consulate staff member, though that person has reportedly since remained on U.S. consular grounds to avoid arrest.
The latest spat with Turkey comes as the United States is reigniting tension with Iran and increasing its pressure in the region as a whole. Though the United States may have deemed it necessary to respond in kind to Turkey's actions, Ankara has been a strategic ally of the United States as it manages several crises. If the U.S.-Turkey relationship deteriorates, the United States may find it difficult to overcome many regional challenges, such as the Syrian civil war and the Kurdish referendum in Iraq. In managing these thorny issues, the United States needs some degree of Turkish buy in, influence and support.
