By Cansu Dikme

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday condemned the U.S. move to suspend non-immigrant visa operations at diplomatic facilities in Turkey.

“The embassy’s decision to suspend all non-immigrant visa applications is upsetting,” Erdogan said in a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Porochenko in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

He added that Turkey's response had reciprocated the U.S. decision.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced it had suspended non-immigrant visa services at all diplomatic facilities in Turkey. In response, Turkey's Washington Embassy suspended non-immigrant visa services in the U.S. citing security concerns. 

The decision came after Turkish national Metin Topuz, confirmed by the U.S. Istanbul Consulate as a local employee, was remanded in custody over terror charges by an Istanbul court last week.

Topuz is linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s defeated coup in Turkey, according to a judicial source.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the attempted coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Topuz has been linked to a number of FETO suspects, including police commissioners and former prosecutor Zekeriya Oz, a fugitive accused of attempting to overthrow the government through the use of force, added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.  

Economic relations

Ahead of the news conference, a joint declaration, a memorandum of understanding and several deals were signed between two countries.

A total of nine signatures were out in economy and defense industry areas.

Erdogan also said the two leaders had discussed cooperation in various areas such as transportation, energy and military relations.

Porochenko also said Ukraine aims to boost strategic cooperation with Turkey.

Ukraine has been wracked by conflict since March 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea after an illegal independence vote.

The UN General Assembly voted to proclaim the Russian annexation illegal.

“We did not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea, and we won’t,” said Erdogan, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic and legal initiatives for the solution.

Along with many UN members, the U.S., the EU and Turkey also do not recognize Crimea as Russian territory.

Additionally, fighting in eastern Ukraine between the government and pro-Russian separatists has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014, according to the UN.