Ankara Municipality changes street name of US Embassy to ‘Olive Branch’

ANKARA

The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality has decided to change the name of a street in front of the United States Embassy to “Olive Branch,” which is the name of Turkey’s military operation in the Afrin province of Syria.

The proposal for the amendment will be discussed on late Feb. 12 at the city council.

“We have signed the proposal to change ‘Nevzat Tandoğan Caddesi’ in front of the U.S. Embassy to ‘Olive Branch.” Tonight, we will present the presidential proposal to the Ankara Metropolitan Assembly,” Ankara Metropolitan mayor Mustafa Tuna posted on his Twitter account on Feb. 12.

The move comes amid fierce reactions from the Turkish government to the U.S. for its support given to the Syrian Kurdish militia in Syria. Turkey launched “Operation Olive Branch” on Jan. 20 after a statement from the U.S. that they would establish border security with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are mostly made up of the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

The Ankara mayor has renamed the street of the United Arab Emirates in Ankara after Ottoman commander Fahreddin Pasha, the defender of Medina during World War I, following a diplomatic row between the UAE and Turkey.

The name of the street and all signs were changed to “Fahreddin Paşa Sokağı” (Fahreddin Pasha Street) after the first municipal council meeting.