The President of Turkey has stepped back from his decision to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western countries. Recep Tayyip Erdogan made this announcement, emphasising that the ambassadors have renounced their earlier stated position and will henceforth be more cautious in their statements.
The ambassadors of Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States issued a statement on Twitter, noting that in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, they do not intend to interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs.
It should be noted that on 23 October, Turkish President Erdogan had instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expel the 10 ambassadors, after they had called for the release of Turkish human rights defender, public figure and businessman Osman Kavala, who is accused of attempting to stage a coup d’état.
