Turkey, US resume full visa services

The United States and Turkey on Thursday announced resumption of full visa services for each other's citizens.

The announcements turn the page on a visa crisis triggered nearly three months ago by the arrest of a staff member at the American mission in Ankara, but relations between the NATO allies remain tense. 

Their statements revealed lingering misgivings between the countries, who are partners in the fight against Daesh.

Washington said it had won assurances from Ankara that no further legal proceedings would be launched against its staff. 

'No such assurances given'

On the other hand, the Turkish embassy in the US capital insisted no such assurances have been given.

"Regarding the assurances in the US statement, we would like to emphasise that Turkey is a state of law, and that our government has not provided any assurances concerning the ongoing judicial processes," the Turkish embassy in Washington said in a statement.

It further added that Turkey had serious concerns regarding the cases of Turkish nationals in the United States.

TRT World's Abubakr al Shamahi has more from Washington DC.

The US decision to stop handing out visas was implemented from October and was followed by a tit-for-tat move by Turkey to stop giving visas to Americans.

In November, the US said it had resumed limited visa services, a move matched by Turkey's missions in the US.

But the services were so limited that the first interview appointments for Turks seeking most types of US visas were only available from January 2019, causing uproar on social media.

The crisis was triggered when US consulate staffer Metin Topuz was formally charged with espionage and seeking to overthrow the Turkish government – accusations the US embassy in Ankara has said are "wholly without merit."

Topuz, a Turkish citizen, is accused of links to a group led by Pennsylvania-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, who ordered last year's failed coup in Turkey. 

The trial fiasco 

Turkey has expressed concern over the arrest and trial of a Turkish banker Mehmet Hakan Atilla in the US. 

Atilla, a senior executive of Turkey’s public bank, Halkbank, is accused of helping Iran evade US sanctions – something he and the bank vehemently deny. 

The trial has raised questions about the reach of US laws over citizens of other countries. Usually in such cases, there is no criminal trial and only banks are penalised, leaving many Turks to feel that the case is politically motivated.