Protesters gather in front of the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul on Jan 22, 2023, after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish political party Hard Line and who also has Swedish citizenship burned a copy of the Quran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. (PHOTO / AFP)
ISTANBUL – Germany and Italy have joined the growing list of Western countries having their consulates in Istanbul temporarily closed over security concerns, as Türkiye is on high alert against possible retaliation for Quran burning incidents in several European countries.
The German Embassy in the capital Ankara announced on social media that the consulate in Istanbul was closed on Wednesday for security concerns. Meanwhile, the Italian Consulate General in Istanbul issued a statement on its website saying the consulate would be closed on Thursday.
The first to close its consulate in Istanbul was the Netherlands, which took the move on Monday.
Evaluations were made against all possible provocations, and our security measures were maximized after the sinister actions against our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Turkish Interior Ministry
"The recent demonstrations in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, where a Quran was burned and torn up respectively, can evoke anti-Western feelings and lead to demonstrations and protests," the Netherlands' Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a travel advisory to Türkiye on Monday.
READ MORE: Quran burning: Türkiye defers meeting with Sweden, Finland
"There is also an increased threat of an attack against Western targets, diplomatic representations, and places of worship, particularly in Istanbul," it warned.
Britain issued a similar travel advisory on Tuesday, warning of "a heightened threat of terrorist attacks against churches, synagogues, embassies, consulates, and other places frequented by Westerners in Istanbul."
As a precaution, the British Consulate General in Istanbul has been closed to the public since Tuesday.
ALSO READ: US issues another warning of possible terrorist attacks in Türkiye
France and the United States have also issued travel warnings for Türkiye following the Quran burning incidents.
On Monday, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced that it had raised its security measures to the highest level against possible Islamic State and al-Qaida retaliation.
"Evaluations were made against all possible provocations, and our security measures were maximized after the sinister actions against our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark," read a statement by the ministry.