The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of 9 countries
Following the decision of some Western countries to temporarily close their consulates in Istanbul due to security concerns, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of 9 countries.
At the same time, Suleyman Soylu, the Turkish Interior Minister, on Thursday, February 2, described the closure of European and American consulates in Istanbul as a psychological war by the West against the country’s tourism industry. He stated that while Turkey attracted 51 million foreign tourists in 2022, earning $46 billion, and aims to attract 60 million tourists this year, Western countries are trying to harm Turkey’s tourism industry.
In recent days, several far-right activists in some European countries have burned the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy, and eight European countries, along with the United States, expressed concerns over potential retaliatory attacks and announced the temporary closure of their consulates in Istanbul.
A Quran burning was also planned to take place on Friday in Oslo, the capital of Norway, but the police announced that the gathering was canceled for security reasons.