Turkey renames US Embassy street after Syria offensive
By The Associated Press
An Ankara municipality worker fixes the new street sign, "Olive Branch Street" in Turkish, named after Turkey's military operation to drive out the Syrian Kurdish militia of an enclave in northwest Syria, in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish authorities on Monday renamed a street where the U.S. Embassy is located with the name of Turkey’s military offensive in Syria that had led to tensions between the allies.
Ankara municipal workers put up the new sign in Turkish for Olive Branch Street, replacing the one named after late Ankara governor Nevzat Tandogan.
The U.S. Embassy's flag flies at half-mast in respect for the Florida school shooting victims in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. Municipality workers on Monday took down the street sign for Nevzat Tandogan Street where the U.S. Embassy is located and replaced it with one that reads "Olive Branch Street." (Burhan Ozbilici/AP)
When asked last week about the upcoming name change, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that “they can call it whatever they want. As long as it’s in accordance with their own law, we’re fine with that.”
In November, Turkey renamed the street where the United Arab Emirates has its embassy after a long-dead Ottoman military commander. It was a reaction to an Emirati minister’s retweet of a claim that the Turkish president’s “forefathers” pillaged the holy city of Medina.
Turkish authorities on Monday renamed a street where the U.S. Embassy is located with the name of Turkey’s military offensive in Syria that had led to tensions between the allies.
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