No: 263, 7 September 2019, Press Release Regarding the Travel Advisory for Turkey Issued by the US Department of State

The travel advisory for Turkey issued recently by the U.S. State Department contains generally positive evaluations as a result of the solid security conditions in Turkey, but the assessments regarding our eastern and southeastern cities do not reflect the reality. This approach, which is far from understanding Turkey’s fight against terrorism, will not disrupt the determination of our Government on this matter.

This statement, which puts forward remarks exceeding the purpose and context of a travel advisory, could not have been written in good faith.

Claims that do not accurately reflect the security environment in our country are repeated and unfounded assessments suggesting a threat and a security gap are made in the advisory.

Our citizens and our guests live in peace and safety in every city in Turkey.

On the other hand, being elected does not mean having the freedom to support terrorism and terrorist organizations. Our country is determined to fight against terrorism effectively. The measures we take on legal and legitimate grounds against those who support terror are the manifestation of our country's determined fight against this threat.

We call upon the U.S. authorities to abandon this ideological approach and take the realities of our country as reference and correct this assessment, which is far from common sense and logic.