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Ten countries wait to see if Turkey's Erdogan follows through on expulsion of ambassadors
Updated 00:55, 25-Oct-2021
Giulia Carbonaro

European governments are mulling how to respond to Turkish  president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's order to expel ambassadors from ten countries, including Germany, Norway, and the U.S., in the latest development of an escalating row between Turkey and Western countries.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, the ambassadors of Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand and the U.S. appealed for the release of Parisian-born activist and civil society leader Osman Kavala, who has been in jail without a conviction since 2017, on charges linked to antigovernment nationwide protests in 2013 sparked by plans to demolish Gezi park in Istanbul.

Last year Kavala, now 64, was acquitted of charges linked with the Gezi protests of 2013, but was arrested again before he could return home over alleged links to the 2016 failed coup attempt against Erdogan's government.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia. /Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via Reuters

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia. /Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via Reuters

The Western ambassadors had called for a "just and speedy resolution" to his case which they said "cast a shadow" over Turkey.

Following the statement, Erdogan asked his foreign minister to declare the ambassadors "persona non grata."

"They must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey," Erdogan said, accusing them of "indecency."

"They will know and understand Turkey. The day they do not know and understand Turkey, they will leave," he added.

One diplomatic source told Reuters that de-escalation was possible given Turkey has now made its stance very clear, and given the potential diplomatic fallout from such a move ahead of the G20 summit and the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow starting at the end of the month.

"No instructions have been given to embassies," the source said, adding that it was possible a decision may be taken at Turkey's cabinet meeting on Monday.

Norway said its embassy had not received any notification from Turkish authorities.Several countries, including Norway and New Zealand, said late on Saturday they had not received any official notification from Turkey.

"Our ambassador has not done anything that would justify the expulsion," Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Trude Maseide told national media.

"We will continue to call on Turkey to comply with democratic standards and the rule of law to which the country committed itself under the European Human Rights Convention," Maaseide added.

Her words were echoed by Dutch and Danish officials and by European Parliament President David Sassoli, who tweeted: "The expulsion of ten ambassadors is a sign of the authoritarian drift of the Turkish government. We will not be intimidated. Freedom for Osman Kavala."

The ten countries affected are in contact with one another, as reported by a source at the German Foreign Ministry.

Osman Kavala speaking during an event in Istanbul. The next hearing in Kavala's trial will be on November 26. /Handout/Anadolu Culture Center/AFP

Osman Kavala speaking during an event in Istanbul. The next hearing in Kavala's trial will be on November 26. /Handout/Anadolu Culture Center/AFP

The European Court of Human Rights called for Kavala's immediate release two years ago, saying there was no reasonable suspicion that he had committed the offences he stands accused of, but to no avail. Erdogan maintains that Kavala is a "terrorist."

The EU human rights watchdog Council of Europe has issued a final warning to Turkey to comply with a 2019 European Court of Human Rights order to release Kavala pending trial.

If it fails, Turkey could eventually have its voting rights or even its membership suspended.

The confrontation with Western countries - which has deepened in recent weeks - has the potential to worsen the economic crisis facing Turkey.

The Turkish lira has been plunging rapidly against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, as investors are concerned over Erdogan's management of the national economy and monetary policy.

This week, Turkey has also been added to a global money-laundering and terrorism-financing blacklist by global financial misconduct watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters

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