The Foreign Ministry summoned the envoys of nine countries, including ones that have closed their diplomatic missions in Türkiye, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
Sources noted that the ambassadors and representatives of the U.S., the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain, Germany, Belgium, France and Italy were summoned to the ministry in Ankara to convey Türkiye's reaction.
The ministry reminded the diplomats that Türkiye ensures the security of all diplomatic missions in th ecountry in line with international agreements and that such simultaneous acts are not proportional and prudent approaches, and only serve the insidious agendas of terrorist groups.
The diplomats were told that Ankara expects allied and friendly nations to cooperate with Turkish security forces regarding the matter.
On Thursday, five consulates, including the German, French, Dutch, Belgian and the United Kingdom were closed citing alleged security threats.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu slammed the move, saying that it amounted to "psychological warfare" at a time of growing tourism revenues.
Turkish media outlets also reported that Pierre Loti French High School in Istanbul would be closed on Thursday and Friday, reporting a message to students' parents citing "reasons related to security." The Belgian Consulate will also remain closed on Friday while it is unclear whether the British Consulate will reopen on Friday.
Soylu dismissed their claim of "security threats," citing Türkiye's successful counterterrorism operations. He said between the start of January and Thursday alone, Türkiye carried out as many as 60 operations against Daesh and detained 95 people. Last year, close to 2,000 Daesh suspects were detained in more than 1,000 operations against the group, he highlighted. Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry said Turkish authorities had detained a number of suspects following a warning from a “friendly country,” but hadn't found any weapons, ammunition, or sign of a planned act of violence.
