Prague, July 16 (CTK) – The Foreign Ministry does not recommend that Czech citizens travel to Ankara, Istanbul and southeast Turkey after an attempted military coup in this country, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said after a meeting of the emergency committee Saturday.
Czechs should be extremely cautious in other Turkish regions, too, for instance, avoid frequented places, such as markets, he added.
Zaoralek has scheduled another meeting to assess the situation in Turkey for Monday morning.
The situation in Turkish seaside resorts is calm, but the atmosphere in the country is still tense and the current development must be monitored, Zaoralek said.
The Czech Republic will not evacuate its citizens from Turkey now, but it can send a military special plane there in two hours if the situation worsens, Zaoralek said, adding that he did not consider it probable.
At present, about 7,000 Czechs stay in Turkey. They are unharmed after the failed coup, according to the diplomats’ information.
The Foreign Ministry first issued a recommendation in the night warning Czechs of travelling to Turkey. It called on those who stay there not to leave their homes or accommodation facilities and be extremely cautious.
However, in the meantime the situation calmed down after the Turkish government forces succeeded in frustrating an attempt at a military coup that erupted on Friday night and took control of the military.
This is why the ministry recommended to avoid Istanbul and Ankara only where the major fights occurred.
“We will keep monitoring the current situation on our websites and update our stance according to the developments,” Zaoralek said, adding that the emergency phone line for the public would be further in operation.
About 100 Czech tourists, some of whom got stuck at the airport in Istanbul, used the line in the night.
Travel agencies respect the ministry’s decision not to organise trips to Istanbul, Ankara and southeast Turkey, they also consider these localities unstable. Jan Papez, deputy chairman of the Association of Travel Agencies, told CTK.
However, the Istanbul airports are another case as they serve for transit to other destinations, he added.
Papez pointed out that a crushing majority of Czechs in Turkish seaside resorts would like to stay there until the end, only some individuals had asked for an early return in the night, but most of them changed their mind later.
If the Foreign Ministry declared Turkey a dangerous destination, travel agencies would have to transport their clients from there.
At least 161 people died in the fights in Turkey and hundreds were injured during the attempted coup.
Zaoralek said the EU countries’ foreign ministers might debate the developments in Turkey in Brussels on Sunday evening. Their regular meeting to be attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will take place on Monday.
