Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed down from his threat to expel 10 Western ambassadors on Monday. Erdogan had taken a staunch stand over their joint statement of support for a jailed civil society leader.
Erdogan said that he had ordered the envoys to be declared persona non grata during the weekend for seeking the release of prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala. 64-years-old Kavala has been detained for four years on charges of financing protests and involvement in an attempted coup.
Erdogan released a statement after the US and several of the other concerned countries issued identical statements. The embassies in separate statements said that they respected a UN convention that required diplomats not to interfere in the host country’s domestic affairs.
Erdogan’s statement said that the move “shows they have taken a step back from the slander against our country”.
Erdogan said, “They will be more careful now.”
How did Western embassies trigger diplomatic crisis?
Earlier last week, the envoys from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, and the US called for a just and speedy resolution to Kavala’s case, and for his “urgent release”.
The 10 ambassadors represent NATO allies, trade partners, and members of the European Union. Ankara is an EU candidate country but dialogue over its potential membership have been practically frozen for years.
In response, Erdogan said, “The Turkish judiciary doesn’t take orders from anyone, and is not under anyone’s command. Our intention is absolutely not to create a crisis but to protect our law, honour, interests and our sovereign rights.”
Later, Turkey’s communications director Fahrettin Altun warned that Turkey would not refrain from taking further action.
Altun said, “Our foreign ministry has already given the necessary response to these foreign missions and warned them about their unacceptable behaviour. Our government will not shy away from any further steps to show that we will never compromise our national sovereignty.”
Embassies track back
The embassies made the statements almost simultaneously on Twitter as Erdogan entered a cabinet meeting to discuss the possible expulsion of the diplomats.
In a tweet, the US Embassy said, “The United States notes that it maintains compliance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand each sent a similar message, while Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland re-tweeted the US message. There was no apparent statement from the German or French embassies.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin, “We take note of the statements of the Turkish President with concern and also with incomprehension.”
Erdogan “welcomed” statements by several Western embassies.
The Turkish lira surged on expectations that Erdogan was ready to walk back from his threat to expel the 10 Western ambassadors.
The lira pulled back from a historic low and was trading up half a per cent against the dollar on expectations Turkey’s president would announce a compromise solution in a television address later on Monday.
Who is Kavala?
Kavala, a businessman and contributor to civil society groups, is jailed for allegedly financing nationwide protests in 2013 and involvement in a failed coup in 2016. His trial continues but he has denied the charges.
Rights groups have said his case is emblematic of a crackdown on dissent under Erdogan, and Kavala said on Friday that he would no longer attend his trial, as a fair hearing was impossible after recent comments by the president.
Kavala’s wife Ayse Bugra described her husband’s imprisonment as inexplicable on Monday.
Bugra said, “There’s no way this situation can be explained either logically or legally.”
Meanwhile, Turkey’s parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop said that the country’s constitution banned discussion of ongoing court cases, including by Turkish politicians in parliament, and the envoys’ statement marked a “clear and disrespectful” interference.
Talking in the north-western province of Tekirdag, Sentop said, “Those who are evaluating the stance our president has put forth on this issue as an unprecedented one must see … that the impudence shown by the ambassadors is also unprecedented.”
