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Erdoğan has withdrawn the expulsion of Western ambassadors: they understood that they had to be more careful
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MURAT KULA / AFP
The Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has refrained from threatening to expel Western diplomats.
The ambassadors had "withdrawn" and "will be more cautious in the future," said Erdoğan on Monday evening.
A spokesman for the president also said that Ankara would "not hesitate to take further steps against the ambassadors." But the foreign ministry had already taken the necessary steps and warned the diplomats of their "unacceptable behavior".
The US embassy and other embassies concerned had previously published a declaration on Twitter that they would comply with the Vienna Convention not to interfere in the internal affairs of the host country.
Erdoğan announced on Saturday that he had instructed the Turkish Foreign Ministry to declare the ambassadors of a total of ten countries to be "personae non gratae".
Affected are, among others, Germany, France and the USA.
In international diplomacy, this classification is usually followed by expulsion.
Erdoğan under pressure domestically
At the beginning of the week the ambassadors called for the release of the human rights activist and patron of culture Osman Kavala in a joint appeal.
This provoked the anger of the Turkish government.
In response to the appeal, Turkey summoned the ambassadors and threatened to expel them.
The political leadership in Ankara described the country’s call to release Kavala as unacceptable.
Erdoğan is under more pressure domestically than seldom in his career.
The Turkish economy is in a massive crisis, the lira is losing more and more of its value.
Many observers interpreted Erdoğan's threats against the ambassadors as an attempt to divert attention from the crisis.
svs / AFP / Reuters
