WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson on Wednesday expressed "profound concern" to his Turkish counterpart over the detention of local employees of U.S. diplomatic missions in Turkey, according to the U.S. State Department.
During the call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Tillerson emphasized the "need for the Turkish government to present the evidence behind these accusations," said a statement by the State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.
The United States and Turkey on Sunday indefinitely halted all non-immigrant visa services for each other's citizens amid deepening differences between the two North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies.
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara made the first move by releasing a statement saying that "recent events have forced the United States Government to reassess the commitment of the Turkish Government to the security of U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel."
The Turkish Embassy in Washington retaliated immediately by issuing a similar statement that mirrored the one by the United States.
The spat between the two countries was ignited by the recent arrest of Metin Topuz, a U.S. consulate worker in Istanbul who was accused of suspected links to Fethullah Gulen, who is a U.S.-based cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating last year's failed coup in Turkey.
Ankara has repeatedly demanded the extradition of Gulen, while the requests were rejected by Washington as the latter asked for more evidence.
