Netherlands consulate in Turkey reopens after threats subside

The Dutch consulate in Istanbul reopened on Tuesday after being closed for almost a week due to a terrorist threat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. On Wednesday last week Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs decided to temporarily close and vacate the Dutch consulate in the Turkish city because of a possible terrorist threat. He could not say where the threat came from, but stated that the safety of the staff and visitors came first. Due to the few days of being closed, the consulate expects that the coming days will be extra busy with visa and passport applications. It therefore warns that applications may take longer than usual.