Bent on dismantling the “parallel state,” Ankara has embarked on a reckless campaign that threatens to undermine Turkey’s foreign relations. After corruption probes targeted Cabinet members in December 2013, it came as no surprise when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government dismissed and reassigned thousands of police officers, prosecutors and judges in the course of a fierce war on the movement of cleric Fethullah Gulen. No one would have imagined, however, that Ankara would go so far as to dismiss dozens of honorary consuls in Turkey and mount a diplomatic offensive to force the closure of Gulenist-founded schools abroad.
Honorary consuls representing 51 countries in Turkey have seen their authorizations revoked. In remarks to reporters last week, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu offered the following explanation: “In light of information provided by the National Intelligence Organization, we decided not to renew the authorizations of certain countries’ honorary consuls in Turkey because those individuals belong to the parallel setup and work against Turkey abroad. To enjoy certain rights as an honorary consul and then go working against Turkey is something we cannot accept.”