Threatening to cancel presidential visit, Austria demands Turkey recall ambassador

Jeopardizing a visit to Turkey by Austrian President Heinz Fischer set for this May, an ambassadorial crisis is causing friction between Ankara and Vienna. In messages to Ankara through various diplomatic channels, Austria has demanded that Turkey recall its Ambassador in Vienna Ecvet Tezcan, in the wake of a controversial interview with Die Presse daily last November, warning that otherwise the presidential visit might not happen. In the interview, Tezcan criticized Austrian policy towards foreigners, saying, "Turks in Austria have been forced to set up ghettos."