Turkey hopes for quick normalization of soured bilateral ties with U.S.

APD NEWS

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Turkey hopes ties with the United States could return to normal soon, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim gestures as he delivers a speech during the AK Party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara, Turkey on October 10, 2017.

"Our wish is that relations between the two allies get back to normal soon," Yildirim said during a provincial governors meeting in Ankara.

His remarks came three days after the U.S. suspended non-immigrant visa services in Turkey.

The prime minister told governors that Ankara would use "common sense" in dealing with the situation at a time when regional and global tensions have been rising.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced it had suspended non-immigrant visa services at all diplomatic facilities in Turkey.

In response, Turkey's Washington Embassy also suspended non-immigrant visa services in the United States, citing security concerns.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the U.S. decision as "upsetting," saying Turkey's response is "based on the rules of reciprocity."

The spat between the two countries was ignited by the recent arrest of Metin Topuz, a U.S. consulate employee in Istanbul, over suspected links to U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of being behind a failed coup attempt in July 2016.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)