Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım will visit the U.S. next Tuesday amid the ongoing visa dispute between the two countries.
Yıldırım’s visit is scheduled to last from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10, and he will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak.
Prime Minister Yıldırım is expected to meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, as well as opinion leaders in Washington and New York, representatives of Turkish and related communities, representatives of Muslim and Jewish communities, members of the media, investors and businessmen.
It is expected that during the meeting with Pence, bilateral, political, economic and military relations, regional issues including Syria and Iraq, combating terrorism, asylum seekers and the resolution of the visa row will be discussed.
The visit aims to ensure the elimination of differences in opinion with the U.S. and to maintain joint efforts to advance cooperation.
The visit of Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım is also an important opportunity to emphasize the economic and commercial potential, basic messages about foreign policy, and the role of Turkey in the region and in the world.
The visa dispute between Turkey and the U.S. was sparked on Oct. 8, when the U.S. embassy in Ankara announced the suspension of non-immigrant visa services to Turkish nationals, following the arrest of a local employee working at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul. This prompted a tit-for-tat response from Ankara.
