Türkiye has requested that additional security measures be provided to its foreign missions in the United States after a recent attack on the Turkish House (Türkevi) in New York City, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.
Speaking to TV100, Çavuşoğlu said the attacker has not been caught yet, but U.S. authorities are working hard to track him down.
"He had a hat, but his face was uncovered, a crowbar in his hand... He hit the windows with it and left the crowbar on the ground there and ran away," said Çavuşoğlu.
"There were also fingerprints on the crowbar he used, so it's only a matter of time before he gets caught. We think he can't escape," he added.
Çavuşoğlu said the Turkish Consulate General held a joint meeting with the New York Police Department (NYPD), the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service and the Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the U.N., and intensive efforts are continuing to catch the attacker.
New York Mayor Eric Adams visited the Turkish House, said Çavuşoğlu. A police post will be set up in front of the building, he added. He noted that NYPD vehicles will be there until the police post is established.
Çavuşoğlu said the State Department is also closely following developments, adding he also spoke with the U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeff Flake and thanked him for their close attention.
"Of course, as the host country, the United States is responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions. We are also responsible for those in Türkiye. The Vienna Convention is also clear. We expect this person to be caught as soon as possible," he said.
"We requested that additional security measures be provided not only to the Turkish House but to all our missions in the U.S. Our Ambassador and our friends are following (things) closely."
The Turkish House, a dedicated building for diplomatic missions and cultural events, was attacked in the early hours of Monday.
The assailant smashed the windows of the building at 3:14 a.m. local time, Turkish Consul General in New York Reyhan Özgür told Anadolu Agency (AA).
He said no one was hurt, but 12 windows and the doors of the building, which opened in 2021, were damaged.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday called on the U.S. to find the "terrorist" who attacked the Turkish House and "do what is necessary."
"In Europe, the PKK (terrorist group) has seen that things are getting worse, (and) they have started to attack voters. They probably say that these voters are in favor of the People's Alliance. That's why they attack them,” the president said.
"What is more, they have attacked the Turkish House in America, just across from the United Nations (building) in the U.S., and broke the windows. Why? What do you gain by attacking the Turkish House, breaking the windows?" said Erdoğan.
The Turkish House, he said, is entrusted to U.S. authorities there.
"You need to find this terrorist who broke the windows of the Turkish House with a crowbar," the president asserted.
On the other side, Çavuşoğlu also spoke on the Syrian crisis, saying that Türkiye supports Damascus’ political integrity and political unity, and indicating that Ankara's military presence in the country continues due to the continuing terror threat.
“The best solution is to manage the political process and provide permanent stability in Syria. If we move out of Syria now, terrorist organizations will nestle in and this would mean conflict as well as an additional migration burden for Türkiye,” he told Hürriyet newspaper. The Syrian issue is once again on the agenda of Türkiye as contact has been established with Damascus both to discuss terrorism and the return of Syrian refugees in Türkiye.
Çavuşoğlu reiterated that 550,000 Syrian refugees returned to their country.
Anti-refugee sentiment in Türkiye has been on the rise in recent months, largely stoked by opposition parties that have sought nationalist votes in the run-up to May 14’s presidential and parliamentary polls.
Türkiye has hosted millions of Syrians who fled persecution and brutality in their country since the civil war broke out in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.
Erdoğan’s government has been working to ensure the return of those willing to return to safe zones it established across northern Syria, while the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continue battling terrorists from groups like the PKK, its Syrian branch the YPG, as well as remnants of Daesh via cross-border operations and backing moderate Syrian opposition against Assad.
Conversely, Ankara and Damascus have intensified steps for normalizing ties since last year. With Russia and Iran’s participation, Çavuşoğlu met his Syrian counterpart in Moscow earlier this month for the highest-level talks between the archfoes since 2011.
Çavuşoğlu said that the Assad regime accepts that the YPG is a threat to the country and that Türkiye could only leave the country if Damascus exerts full authority over YPG-controlled areas.
