My daughter is finishing a study abroad program in Rome and purchased tickets to go to Istanbul before continuing to Greece. The US Dept. of State has a recent advisory posted on their site for Turkey. Should we be concerned?
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Was Istanbul included in the US Dept. of State's advisory, or, was it due to the unrest in eastern Turkey? Big different in a big country.
Posted by
OP
Minneapolis, MN, USA
90 posts
This is the alert:
This information is current as of today, Sun Apr 11 2010 23:12:30 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time).
Turkey
March 19, 2010
The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to evolving security concerns in Turkey, and reminds them of the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against U.S. citizens and interests. This Travel Alert dated March 19, 2010, expires on April 30, 2010.
U.S. citizens in Turkey should be particularly vigilant in light of the ongoing "Get Out America, This is Our Country" campaign and upcoming significant anniversaries associated with the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C), a designated terrorist organization. Actions against American and/or Turkish-American cultural and business establishments in Turkey are possible. We remind U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.
In addition, the U.S. Mission in Turkey alerts American citizens about the upcoming Nevruz holiday (Kurdish New Year) occurring on March 21. Previous protests, some of them violent, have occurred in Turkey on this date and could occur again.
The Department of State encourages U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey to be alert to the potential for demonstrations and to avoid large gatherings. Demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations if possible. Particular caution should be exercised in places known to be frequented by Americans.
Posted by
Izmir, izmir, Turkey
85 posts
Hi,
This is Gokhan from Turkey, living in Istanbul & Izmir,,
Briefly I have to say you may be sure , there is no concern about that.
Istanbul is a city ~20.Million and crime rate is lees than most of the US cities, Izmir is ~4 million people city and the most modern and civilized people are in Turkey living in Izmir.
Ofcourse there were some very limitted cases lived in Turkey time to time but today it is not different than before,, Also I am working in an Italian company and travelled to Rome alot of time in this year and I am going again this Thursday too, and I am witness that Rome is more risky than Istanbul and izmir from theft.
Even the east side of Turkey is safe if you dont climbing deserted mountains...
Anyhow, Turkey is safe entirely , and Turkish people are very kind and hospitaly is very good.
Please don't hesitate to keep in touch if you have any question or need any information
Regards
Gokhan
Posted by
Port Huron, MI
4 posts
I'm not sure about the recent developments over there, but last summer I traveled to Istanbul by myself and ran into no problems what-so-ever. I was concerned about going there as well, being female and alone, but I'm really glad I did- it may have been my favorite place on my trip!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, usa
44 posts
Agree with Kelli, Took a family of four (two teens) and had absolutely no problems at all. Great city. One of my favorites!!
Posted by
Hoboken, NJ, USA
112 posts
Friends just got back today and had NO problems