Erdogan Threatens to Expel 10 Western Envoys including US and Germany
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says, “I told our Foreign Minister that we cannot have the luxury of hosting them in our country."
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Thursday to expel the US, German, and eight other Western ambassadors after they delivered a rare joint statement in support of a jailed opposition figure Osman Kavala, according to Turkish media.
Erdogan told reporters in comments published by Turkish media, “I told our foreign minister that we cannot have the luxury of hosting them in our country."
In their statement, the US, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden, called for a "just and speedy resolution to (Kavala)'s case".
The Turkish President asked, “Is it within your boundary to teach such a lesson to Turkey?",
Besides, the 10 ambassadors issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday -- distributed widely on their Turkish social media accounts -- saying Kavala's continued detention "cast a shadow" over Turkey.
Last Tuesday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassadors of France, the United States, and eight other countries to protest the statement they released.
The 47-member Council of Europe announced last month that it would initiate infringement proceedings against Turkey if Kavala is not released before its next committee of ministers meeting in November.
