US promises expanded visa services in Turkey after Ankara criticism

ISTANBUL, 25 August 2022, (TON): The United States promised to expand its visa processing capacity in Turkey, moving to defuse a dispute that has threatened to further strain already difficult relations between the NATO allies.

US visa applicants in Turkey have been facing enormous delays, with wait times for an appointment extending up to 15 months.

 It is part of a global bottleneck in US visa services after Washington halted almost all visa processing worldwide in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday accused the United States and also some European nations of intentionally drawing out their visa application process, calling it an effort to embarrass President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party ahead of elections in Turkey next year.

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