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Western countries folded, and Erdogan refrained from expelling their ambassadors

The Turkish president was pleased with the syllabus of U.S. embassies and nine other countries, which stressed that they were not interfering in its internal affairs.

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• Turkey

• Recep Tayyip Erdogan

• United States

Reuters

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 12:30 p.m.

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(Photo: Reuters)

Turkey and Western countries managed to avoid a sharp diplomatic crisis yesterday (Monday) after foreign embassies stressed their commitment to diplomatic treaties on non-interference in Turkey's internal affairs, thus preventing the expulsion of their representatives from those ten countries.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had ordered the declaration of those ambassadors, including that of the United States, as "undesirable personalities" after calling for the release of imprisoned businessman Othman Kavla. Yesterday he had already sounded different, saying at a press conference that Western embassies had withdrawn and would be more careful now.

"Our goal is never to create crises, but to protect the rights, laws, dignity and sovereignty of our country," Erdogan said in a televised speech after a cabinet meeting he chaired.

"With the new declaration of those embassies today, we will take a step back from this defamation against our country and our nation. I believe these ambassadors will be more careful in their declarations regarding the sovereign rights of Turkey," Erdogan defied.

The ambassadors' call for the release of Kawala, who has been imprisoned for four years on charges of funding demonstrations and involvement in the coup attempt, angered Ankara.

The philanthropic businessman, who has donated a lot of money to civic organizations in Turkey, denies the charges against him.

Apart from the United States, the other embassies calling for his release were from Germany, France, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

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(Photo: Reuters)

At the time of the cabinet meeting where Erdogan could have approved the expulsion of the ambassadors and caused the deepest rift with the West in the 19 years of his own rule, several embassies issued a brief statement. "The United States notes that it continues to abide by Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the US Embassy tweeted. The other embassies posted similar messages or retweeted the US message.

The Turkish version of the US statement said the embassy was "confirming" its compliance with the treaty, a wording that could be interpreted as a future commitment. "Strategic ambiguity at work allows Erdogan's advisers to claim that the West has surrendered, while the English version gives the impression at home that the West has stood its ground," tweeted former MP Aiken Ardmir.

Subsequently, the United States State Department stressed that the clarification was intended to "emphasize that the declaration we issued on October 18 is consistent with Article 41," and that Washington will continue to conduct a dialogue with Turkey. "We are determined by our commitment to promote the rule of law and the protection of human rights around the world," said State Department spokesman Ned Price. "The Biden administration is looking to cooperate with Turkey on common issues, and as with any NATO company, we will continue to engage in dialogue to resolve disagreements."

A diplomatic source said that the US embassy and Turkish officials had held behind-the-scenes talks to lower the flames, which were attended by Erdogan's spokesman and Foreign Minister Mevlot Chebushalu. The source said the ambassadors wanted to emphasize the principles of the Vienna Convention while discussing with officials in Turkey a move that might please Erdogan. He added that they hoped the tweets on Twitter would help dispel tensions, although the Turkish government did not make any promises on the matter.

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Santop said yesterday that Turkey's constitution prohibits the discussion of activists, including members of parliament, and that the ambassadors' statement was an "obvious and disrespectful" intervention.

Thanks to the developments, the value of the Turkish lira climbed after falling to a ratio of 9.85 to the dollar.

The Turkish currency has lost almost a quarter of its value this year.

Diplomatic tensions boosted investor concerns about Turkey's economy after the central bank, under pressure from Erdogan, surprisingly cut interest rates by 200 basis points to 16% last week despite inflation approaching 20%.

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