Turkish President Erdogan orders expulsion of 10 Western ambassadors

Europe, Middle East, News October 24, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

On October 23, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that he had told his foreign ministry to expel the ambassadors of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and seven European countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, for demanding the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Turkish President Erdogan said during a rally in the western city of Eskisehir that “I have ordered our foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as persona non grata as soon as possible”. The term ‘persona non grata’ is used in diplomacy as the first step before expulsion.

“They will know and understand Turkey. The day they do not know and understand Turkey, they will leave,” Erdogan told the crowd in Eskisehir.

On October 18, in a joint statement, the ambassadors of these ten countries pushed for a just and prompt resolution to Osman Kavala’s case, and demanded the Turkish government for his “urgent release”. Soon after, the Turkish foreign ministry summoned the ambassadors and termed the statement “irresponsible”.

Kavala has remained in detention for the past four years, while his trial continues at court. Turkish administration charged Kavala for illegally supporting civil society groups, financing 2013 protests in Turkey, and for his involvement in a failed coup in 2016.

Although the Turkish president did not set a date for expulsion, his decision could create new rifts between Turkey and its NATO partners, as seven of the ten ambassadors represent Turkey’s NATO allies.

In response, European Parliament President David Sassoli tweeted, “The expulsion of 10 ambassadors is a sign of the authoritarian drift of the Turkish government. We will not be intimidated. Freedom for Osman Kavala.”

German politician and foreign policy expert Alexander Graf Lambsdorff said, “The possible expulsion of 10 ambassadors, including the representatives of Germany and many of Turkey’s NATO allies, would be unwise, undiplomatic and would weaken the cohesion of the alliance.”

According to Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Trude Maaseide, Norway’s embassy had not received any notification from Turkish authorities. “Our ambassador has not done anything that warrants an expulsion”.

Similarly, Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod said his ministry had not received any official notification but was in contact with its friends and allies. “We will continue to guard our common values and principles, as also expressed in the joint declaration,” Jeppe Kofod said in a statement.

According to sources, the 10 countries were consulting with one another on the matter, and would most likely hold behind-the-door talks with the Turkish government to solve the issue.

Earlier on October 21, an international watchdog downgraded Turkey to a so-called grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), for failing to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

According to FATF President Marcus Pleyer, Turkey needs to address “serious issues of supervision” in its banking and real estate sectors, and with gold and precious stones dealers. The FATF is set up by the G7 group of advanced economies to protect the global financial system.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu reacted against FATF decision and accused Europe of “financing” terrorism whose price, he said, Turkey was paying. “We are a country where terrorism inflicts the most costs. The one, who finances and empowers terrorism, is Europe. There can be such brazenness. It can be made contrary to the facts,” he added.