Italy working to help Turkish students obtain visas: Foreign minister

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) – Italy is working to increase the number of staff at its consulates to help Turkish students who have been accepted at Italian universities obtain visas but face delays due to the high number of applicants, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday.

In response to an Anadolu reporter's question on the issue, Tajani said many consulates are overwhelmed with visa applications and cannot always act quickly.

A visa application is something that takes time, and consulates work as much as possible to overcome the delays, he said.

Tajani said there are absolutely no obstacles for Turkish students to come and study in Italy.

Turkish students who had been accepted to Italian universities but were unable to travel due to visa delays staged a demonstration with their families outside the Consulate General of Italy in Istanbul last week.

A similar protest took place outside the Consulate General of Italy in Izmir early Tuesday.