Turkey risks losing not only the “rich European tourists” it was counting on but also Americans. At least, for the second time in a week, the authorities of many countries are warning their tourists about the literal “imminent danger” that threatens them in Turkey. It is about possible terrorist attacks in the country against foreigners in the most visited places. However, the Turkish authorities did not remain in debt either and issued recommendations for their tourists to the EU, warning them of possible problems in the countries of the civilized world, accusing the latter of “religious and moral intolerance.”
The warning, which was published by the US embassy in Turkey on Monday, was specific – it warned Americans “about possible attacks on churches, synagogues and diplomatic missions in Istanbul.” This is reported by Reuters. The American experts themselves have confirmed that this is their second report in four days after the Koran-burning incidents in Europe.
At the same time, the warning was given in a scary tone – the places where tourists are at the greatest risk are listed in particular. The US Embassy said that “possible imminent terrorist retaliatory attacks” could occur in areas frequented by Westerners, especially in the city’s Beyoglu, Galata, Taksim, and Istiklal neighborhoods – that is, the most popular and beloved – including Ukrainian tourists – places in Istanbul. We will remind you that in previous warnings from European embassies, Izmir and “all coastal resort towns” were also called dangerous zones.
It will be recalled that on Friday both the US authorities and the embassies of Germany, France, and Italy issued a warning to the security service about possible terrorist attacks in Turkey against tourists after the Koran was demonstratively burned in Sweden, and then in the Netherlands and Denmark. The author of the performance was Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political party “Hard Line”, who also has Swedish citizenship, and burned the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. “The burning of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Sweden recently increased the risk of terrorist attacks in Turkey. Therefore, you should avoid being in crowded public places and be careful when visiting religious places of worship,” the German Foreign Ministry reported, for example. Interestingly, Sweden issued its warnings a day later – there it calls on its citizens, who were in Turkey, to stay away from crowded places and monitor the development of events.
It must be said that Turkey was not left behind in this exchange of courtesies. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a similar warning to its citizens, urging them to exercise caution and exercise restraint. “Recently, there has been a surge in anti-Islamic, xenophobic, and racist actions in various European countries, as well as propaganda against our country by groups associated with terrorist organizations,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. He declared the “dangerous extent of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe” and the “alarming level that racist and discriminatory movements have reached there”.
As a result, Turks living or traveling in European countries are urged to “exercise caution, avoid areas where protests may become more intense, maintain composure in the face of potential xenophobic and racist harassment and attacks, contact local security forces and closely monitor local mass media”.