Irish visitors to Turkey told to use ‘high degree of caution’

Irish people have been advised to exercise “a high degree of caution” if travelling to Turkey, as the US warned of credible threats in holiday locations.

An emergency travel warning was published on the website of the US embassy in Turkey warning of “credible threats to tourist areas, in particular to public squares and docks in Istanbul and Antalya”.

US citizens are advised to “exercise extreme caution” if they are in the vicinity of such areas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs here is also advising people to “exercise a high degree of caution”.

It suggested the threat from terrorism in the country “remains high”.

“We strongly advise against travelling to the border areas between Turkey and Syria in light of the current instability in the region, in particular the provinces of Hatay, Kilis, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, and Mardin.

“The Turkish military have operations along the Turkish border with Iraq and you are strongly advised against all travel to the border provinces of Hakkari and Sirnak,” it stated.

“In addition, we would recommend against travel to the Siirt, Tunceli, and Diyarbakir provinces.”

The department warned that vigilance is required in tourist areas such as Taksim Square in Istanbul and locations close to police and military installations which may be targets for terrorist attacks.

Irish citizens are also advised to avoid large public gatherings and all demonstrations.

Visitors should also remain vigilant when using public transport, particularly the metro systems in Istanbul and Ankara.