Turkish Embassy in Washington

Nearly 500,000 Turkish citizens living abroad have cast their ballots in the presidential election runoff in just one day, causing long queues at the country's foreign representations.

Ballot boxes have been reestablished at Istanbul Airport and customs gates to allow voters living abroad to cast their ballots in the second round of the Turkish presidential election.

The watchdog placed more than 4,600 polling stations at 46 border gates.

The Supreme Election Board (YSK) has accepted the objections of the ruling Justice and Development Party and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) to shortening the time period during which Turkish voters in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and Australia will vote for the second round.

The United States has proposed to launch a new study and cooperation with Türkiye on Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, reiterating that this can be possible only after the former gains Türkiye's confidence by keeping the promises it gave in the past years.

President Joe Biden received Turkey's U.S. envoy, Hasan Murat Mercan, at the White House this week, the embassy announced on April 8. 

Mercan was received by the U.S. president on April 4. A photo of Mercan in the Oval Office was posted on his personal Twitter account, and on the account of the Turkish embassy in Washington.

Mercan took office on March 15, 2021.

Turkish Airlines has scheduled special flights to New York, Chicago, Houston and Miami for Turkish citizens stranded in the U.S. because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The country's flag carrier will evacuate citizens back home from New York and Chicago on May 15, Houston on May 16 and Miami on May 17, according to a statement by the Turkish Embassy in Washington.

Two diplomats and an administrative officer in the Turkish Embassy in Washington are under investigation over "suspected links to FETÖ."

Two men pleaded guilty on Dec. 21 to felony assault in a street brawl in May near the Turkish embassy in Washington during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the United States Justice Department said.

The Turkish Embassy in Washington on Nov. 11 denied allegations that Turkey would use unlawful ways for the extradition of Fethullah Gülen, the U.S based-leader of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

The Turkish Embassy in Washington announced on Nov. 9 that Turkey’s diplomatic and consular missions in the U.S. have started accepting visa applications of U.S. citizens on a limited basis.