Erdogan orders removal of 10 ambassadors, including US envoy [View all]
Source: AP
ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he had ordered 10 foreign ambassadors who called for the release of a jailed philanthropist to be declared persona non grata.
The envoys, including the U.S., French and German representatives in Ankara, issued a statement earlier this week calling for a resolution to the case of Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist held in prison since 2017 despite not having been convicted of a crime.
Describing the statement as an “impudence,” Erdogan said he had ordered the ambassadors be declared undesirable.
“I gave the instruction to our foreign minister and said ‘You will immediately handle the persona non grata declaration of these 10 ambassadors,’” Erdogan said during a rally in the western city of Eskisehir.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks up during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel following their meeting at Huber Villa presidential palace, in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. The leaders discussed Ankara's relationship with Germany and the European Union as well as regional issues including Syria and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-turkey-recep-tayyip-erdogan-ankara-27a050a3b549cea1fa7b6e28f8bc9350
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