“I gave the necessary instructions to our minister of foreign affairs,” Erdogan said in a speech Saturday. “I told him what to do. I said that you will deal with these 10 ambassadors being declared persona non grata as soon as possible.”
The Turkish president added the ambassadors should leave the country if they do not understand Turkey.
If the country’s Foreign Ministry takes the order, it can move forward with the process without further approval. This step could pave the way for their expulsions.
The move comes a few days after Turkey summoned the ambassadors of the U.S., Germany, France, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden over their joint statement calling for Kavala’s release on the fourth year of his detention.
“The continuing delays in his trial, including by merging different cases and creating new ones after a previous acquittal, cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary…