ANKARA, Jan 25 (AFP) - The German embassy in Ankara announced Tuesday it had overhauled its much-criticized visa application system which saw hundreds of Turks line up outside the mission, often camping in the street for days.
The embassy will introduce an appointment system on February 10, under which visa applicants will be invited to the embassy at a previously determined date and time and will be able to hand in their applications in just one hour, German Ambassador Wolf Ruthart Born told a news conference.
"We hope this will put an end to the ugly scenes outside the embassy and help contribute to relations between our two countries," he said.
The German embassy is one of the busiest in the Turkish capital, handling about 100,000 visa application every year.
Germany is home to a Turkish immigrant community of some 2.5 million people, the largest Turkish population in the European Union.
Its embassy in Ankara has long been the target of harsh criticism in the Turkish media over the throngs of applicants camping outside the mission in the hope of getting in.
Wary not to lose their turn the following day, many spend the night in the street, particularly in the busier summer season, amid garbage bags and plastic water bottles littering the sidewalks.
The long queues have also created some bizarre businesses for nearby shopkeepers like blanket-renting and safekeeping of mobile phones which are not allowed into the embassy.
01/25/2005 15:59 GMT - AFP