Swiss diplomat summoned over Turkey embassy closure
The burning of the Koran in Sweden provoked demonstrations outside the Swedish embassy in Ankara, but some countries fear further retaliation.
Ap
The Swiss ambassador to Ankara was among nine diplomats summoned by Turkey to explain why a number of embassies were closed in the face of an assumed terror threat.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
Switzerland was among several western European countries that suspended embassy operations on Thursday following “tangible information about an imminent terrorist attack”.
The concerns were in response to protests that erupted in several countries after a far-right politician from Sweden set the Koran on fire in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Turkey’s interior minister Süleyman Soylu reacted to the embassy closures by accusing western countries of trying to destablise Turkey and meddle in its elections that will take place this year.
The backdrop to heightened tensions between Turkey and western Europe is a Turkish objection to Sweden joining NATO.
No further details have been given about the nature of the terrorist threat that caused countries, including Switzerland, Britain and Germany, to shut the doors to their consulates.
The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed to the news agency keystone-SDA that its ambassador had been summoned by the Turkish authorities.
The ministry said it is monitoring the situation closely but did not say when the embassy would re-open.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Common species vital for stability of food webs, study shows
This content was published on
The loss of common flora and fauna can make food webs unstable, with big consequences for entire ecosystems, a Swiss study has shown.
This content was published on
Overall spending on building fell slightly last year, with trends showing more money flowing into renovations than new buildings.
This content was published on
Foreign trade dipped from April to June in terms of exports and imports, with the trend largely driven by the chemicals and pharma sector.
Former Vatican auditor cleared of bribery in Zurich trial
This content was published on
The Zurich District Court acquitted a former financial markets supervisor at the Vatican of charges of corruption and bribery.
This content was published on
The President of the Swiss Conference of Bishops wants a national digital register of clergy – in the interest of transparency.
This content was published on
The move comes shortly after relations between the two countries – which had been dogged by the Armenian question – appeared to have stabilised. The row centres on comments made a year ago by Yusuf Halacoglu, the president of the Turkish History Organisation, in Winterthur in canton Zurich. During the talk, given at the invitation…
This content was published on
Swiss President and Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter is in a quandary: how to reconcile Switzerland’s excellent diplomatic relations with Russia and his role as head of the OSCE. His latest statements about the hastily organised Crimean referendum on switching the Black Sea peninsula’s allegiance back to Russia shows how much of a balancing act it…
This content was published on
At a parliamentary Q&A session this week, the Swiss cabinet confirmed that 408 Turkish citizens had applied for asylum since the attempted coup in Turkey last July. These include diplomats still based in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities have declined to comment on the identities or status of the various requests. As the Tages-Anzeiger newspaperExternal link…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.