Turkey's recent stance against 10 ambassadors' joint statement for the release of the jailed businessperson Osman Kavala is not a show of strength to someone, it only means that the ambassadors working in Turkey do not interfere in the country's internal affairs, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday TurkicWorld reports according to Daily Sabah
Speaking to the accompanying Turkish press members on his way back from Azerbaijan to Turkey, he said that any ambassador working in this country must know very well what will lead to where.
"If they not know, we have reminded them of Article 41 of the Vienna Convention," he added.
Also referring to some foreign media coverage that Turkey stepped back from its threat against ambassadors, Erdogan said: "How did I take a step back? I am on the offensive. There is no stepping back in my book."
Last week, the embassies of the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for Kavala’s release in a joint statement, claiming the ongoing case has cast a shadow over democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of these countries, accusing them of meddling in the Turkish judiciary.
Erdogan said he ordered the Foreign Ministry to designate the ambassadors persona non grata in response, prompting several embassies and the U.S. to issue another statement on Monday in which they said they maintain “compliance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”
Article 41 encompasses respecting the laws and regulations of the receiving state and stipulates that the internal affairs of said state should not be interfered with.
The ambassadors took a step back from slander against the Turkish judiciary and Turkey with the new statement, said Erdogan late Monday after a Cabinet meeting.
“We believe that these ambassadors, who expressed their commitment to Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, that is, the commitment to abide by the laws and regulations of countries and not interfering in internal affairs, will now be more careful in their statements on Turkey’s sovereign rights,” said Erdogan.
He said anyone who does not respect the independence of Turkey and its sensitivities cannot stay in Turkey “regardless of their positions.”
Kavala faced charges over the 2013 Gezi Park protests, a small number of demonstrations in Istanbul that later transformed into nationwide protests which left eight protesters and a police officer dead. He was acquitted of all charges in February 2020. An appeals court, however, overturned the verdict in January.
Kavala is also accused of involvement in the 2016 defeated coup orchestrated by the Gulenist Terror Group (FETO) in Turkey. Those charges were combined with the Gezi case in February. He was remanded into custody on charges of spying in March.
A court recently ruled that he will remain in prison until a hearing scheduled for Nov. 26 takes place to determine whether he will be released or not.
