US decides to reduce number of consulates in Europe: Gaziantep office also on the list

The US Department of State has decided to close some of its consulates in Europe in line with President Donald Trump's 'America First' policy. Officials announced that the representative office in Gaziantep will also be closed as part of this initiative. Officials stated that the decision to close the consulates was made to reduce the burden on the federal government budget.

According to statements from US officials, a series of consulates, mostly located in Western Europe, will be closed in the coming months. According to the Trump administration's plan, it was announced that the representative offices in Leipzig, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf in Germany; Bordeaux and Strasbourg in France; and Florence in Italy would be closed. However, officials noted that some staff might challenge this decision and the situation could change.

According to a Reuters report, the US Department of State has also decided to close its office in Gaziantep, which supports humanitarian aid efforts in northern Syria. It was stated that this step was formalized in a notification sent to Congress on Monday.

During the election period, Trump promised Americans to save on the state budget. It was known that Trump wanted to reduce the number of federal government employees for this purpose.

TRUMP'S STATE DEPARTMENT DECISION

The Department of State aims to reduce its global workforce by at least 10 percent. Furthermore, there are plans to merge offices at the headquarters in Washington that work in areas such as human rights, refugees, global criminal justice, women's issues, and combating human trafficking.

During his election campaign, Trump promised to clean up the bureaucratic structure he referred to as the 'deep state.' With an executive order issued last month, the US President decided to overhaul the State Department organization to ensure the 'loyal and effective' implementation of his foreign policy agenda.

The US Department of State was operating with approximately 70 thousand personnel in more than 270 diplomatic missions worldwide. As part of the cost-cutting efforts led by the Trump administration and Elon Musk, a significant reduction will be made in the number of personnel at these missions.

News Source: 12punto