Turkey
Roll backwards: Erdogan does not want to expel Western diplomats after all
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
© Murat KULA / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP
The Turkish head of state has moved away from the threatened expulsion of Western diplomats. “Our intention was not to cause a crisis,” said Erdogan.
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not want to expel the German and nine other ambassadors after all. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan interpreted the cautious reaction of Germany and other countries as giving in on Monday.
The ambassadors had “turned around the defamation of our judiciary and our country,” said Erdogan on Monday after a cabinet meeting in Ankara. He believed that the ambassadors will be “more cautious” in the future. Those who do not respect Turkey’s independence and the sensitivities of the Turks are not welcomed in this country, said Erdogan. No matter what status the person has.
Erdogan: “Our intention was not to cause a crisis”
“Our intention was not to cause a crisis,” said Erdogan in a televised address that evening. It was only about “protecting our honor, our pride and our sovereign rights”.
The background to Erdogan’s statements was a statement by the ambassadors of Germany, the USA, France and seven other countries at the beginning of last week. In it they demand the release of the Turkish entrepreneur and culture promoter Osman Kavala. The 64-year-old has been in custody in Istanbul since 2017, although the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered his release in 2019.
Erdogan said on Saturday that he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to declare the ambassadors of ten Western countries – including Germany, the USA and France – to be undesirable persons (“persona non grata”).
As soon as the Turkish Foreign Ministry has officially notified the states concerned, the ambassadors must cease their activities “within a reasonable period” according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. According to the Foreign Office, there was no such notification by Monday noon.
The embassies of the USA, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands in Ankara then tweeted a declaration on Monday to continue to adhere to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention. Other messages like the German shared the US tweet. The article instructs diplomats, among other things, not to interfere in the internal affairs of the receiving state.