Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has backed down on a threat he made last week to expel the ambassadors of ten countries, including the United States (US), over calls for the release of a jailed Turkish activist. Erdoğan’s change in attitude came after the US and other countries released statements vowing not to interfere in Turkey’s internal affairs.
On Monday, Erdoğan welcomed the statements by the embassies stating their intent to respect Turkey’s sovereignty. He called on the countries to “be more careful in their statements about Turkey’s sovereign rights” and warned that anyone who does not respect Turkey’s independence “cannot be accommodated in this country, no matter what their title is.”
The embassies of Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, and the US on Monday released separate statements affirming their respect for Turkey’s sovereignty. Furthermore, the US Embassy in Turkey tweeted that it “maintains compliance” with Article 41 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
— U.S. Embassy Turkey (@USEmbassyTurkey) October 25, 2021
According to Article 41, it is the duty of all persons enjoying rights and immunities in the host country “to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State.” It further states that such persons should not “interfere in the internal affairs of that State.”
On Saturday, Erdoğan ordered the expulsion of the envoys of ten countries after they called for the release of Turkish businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has been held in detention for four years. In a joint statement last week, the countries called for a “just and speedy resolution” to Kavala’s trial and urged Turkey to “secure his urgent release.”
Erdoğan said the statements “directly target” Turkey’s judiciary and sovereign rights and are a “grave insult” to the country’s judges and lawyers. “Our intention is never to create a crisis but to protect our country’s rights, dignity, interests and sovereign rights,” he said on Monday during a cabinet meeting.
Kavala was arrested in 2017 over his alleged involvement in the 2016 failed coup against Erdoğan’s government. Erdoğan even accused Kavala of being responsible for the 2013 Gezi Park protests and funding anti-government organisations.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly called for the release of Kavala. In 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) urged Turkey to release him, saying that the arrest was meant to silence Kavala and that his arrest was not supported by any evidence of offence. In September, the Council of Europe said it would start infringement proceedings against member-state Turkey in November if Kavala was not released.