Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the temporary closure of Western consulates in Istanbul and warned that serious measures will be taken if the missions continue to remain closed.

Ednews reports with reference to the Turkish press that R.T. Erdogan said these words in a meeting with youth in the western province of Aydın.

"Recently, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs called them and gave them an ultimatum. They said that if they continue such actions, they will pay a heavy price."

It should be noted that the Turkish president's statements came after the decision to temporarily close diplomatic missions of the ambassadors of Western countries, including the United States, under the pretext of security threats.

"We will take the necessary decisions regarding this step at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers," the Turkish leader said.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, the ambassadors of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Great Britain were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it was said that such simultaneous actions were disproportionate and not related to security. The ministry said that this step, on the contrary, serves the "insidious agenda of terrorist groups".

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlud Çavuşoğlu called this step "deliberate" and said that the relevant countries did not share specific information or documents with Ankara.

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