“I was relieved to learn just now that the nearly two‑hour visit of our Consul General with Deniz Yücel went smoothly. I am grateful to my Turkish counterpart for being part of the effort that made this visit possible, and that we finally, after waiting several weeks, have obtained access to Deniz Yücel, so that we can talk to him in person.

Deniz Yücel’s life in detention is not easy. So it is all the more important that Deniz Yücel knows we will continue to do everything in our power to obtain his release. We assured him of this again today. Until that happens, we will remain engaged in talks with Turkey, initially making sure that he can receive regular consular visits”.