Three months ago US diplomatic employees were detained in Turkey with that country claiming there were links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen whom it says was responsible for the July 2016 coup attempt against Turkish strongman President Erdoğan.

Erdoğan sees Keyser Söze around every corner, and has detained more than 50,000 people and fired an additional 150,000 over suspected links to Gulen. A 13 year old will spend a year in jail for insulting Erdoğan. Amnesty International activists have been jailed and are awaiting trial.

The US suspended visa services in the country, and in response Turkey suspended issuance of Visas in the US (as well as Visa on Arrival for US citizens arriving directly from the US).

Today the US announced that it has resumed issuing visas in Turkey.

Statement from the U.S. Mission to #Turkey on the Full Resumption of #Visa Services – December 28, 2017 pic.twitter.com/vmwig9GqsT

— US Embassy Turkey (@USEmbassyTurkey) December 28, 2017

And Turkey is lifting its restrictions as well.

#BREAKING Foreign Ministry sources tell CNN TURK Turkey is also lifting the restrictions on visa services after U.S resumes full non-immigrant visa services for Turkish citizens, statement expected from Turkish Embassy in Washington pic.twitter.com/OXlQteuLrL

— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) December 28, 2017

There was some expectation that US relations with Turkey would be strong during the Trump administration despite the nation’s authoritarian tendencies, the US gave some nods towards giving up Gulen and turning him over to Turkey. And former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had been on Turkey’s payroll during the Presidential campaign.

However relations have quickly soured with the country which once aspired to become a member of the EU and is now being run as a banana republic.

Copyright: boarding1now / 123RF Stock Photo

Fortunately it will again be possible for US citizens to visit Turkey as easily as they had done so prior to October’s imposition of restrictions.