Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Erdogan backtracks on threats to expel US envoy and 9 other ambassadors, after they pledge to not interfere in Turkey’s affairs

Erdogan backtracks on threats to expel US envoy and 9 other ambassadors, after they pledge to not interfere in Turkey’s affairs

Ankara has backtracked on its threats to declare 10 envoys “personae non gratae” after they called for the release of an opposition figure even though their embassies had officially vowed not to interfere in the country’s affairs.
The apparent resolution of the diplomatic row was announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following a government meeting to discuss the potential expulsion of the ambassadors late on Monday.

Shortly before the meeting, the US Embassy, along with as well others involved in the scandal, released a statement pledging their compliance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, which states that missions must not interfere in the affairs of the host country.

Erdogan reiterated his displeasure with the original statement by the 10 envoys, calling it a “great insult” to the country’s judiciary, which “does not accept anyone’s orders.” He acknowledged the “step back” by the embassies, however, signaling that the row was resolved.

“Our intention is not to create a crisis, and those embassies backtracked in their statement of adherence to the Vienna Convention. We expect the ambassadors to act accordingly from now on,” Erdogan stated.

Shortly after the president’s announcement, his most senior aide, Fahrettin Altun, warned that the country would take further steps against the offending ambassadors if it deemed it necessary.

“Our Foreign Ministry has already given the necessary response to these foreign missions and warned them about their unacceptable behavior,” Altun said on Twitter. “Our government will not shy away from any further steps to show that we will never compromise our national sovereignty.”

The bitter diplomatic row unfolded last week, after the embassies of the US, Canada, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, and the Netherlands released a joint statement urging a speedy and just resolution to the case of Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman and philanthropist. Kavala has been held in jail without conviction since 2017, facing assorted charges ranging from financing the 2013 Gezi Park protest to taking part in the botched 2016 coup attempt.

While the philanthropist has already been tried and acquitted twice, orders for his release have been overturned immediately after his acquittal and replaced with new charges. While the authorities claim Kavala is an agent of US billionaire George Soros, his supporters believe him to be a political prisoner targeted for standing up to the rule of the increasingly authoritarian Erdogan.

The ambassadors’ statement invoked a furious reaction in Turkey, and they were summoned to the Foreign Ministry to account for their “irresponsible” behavior. Over the weekend, Erdogan said he had instructed Turkey’s diplomacy chief to declare the envoys ‘personae non gratae’ as soon as possible. No official notification about such intent, however, actually came from Turkey, according to Germany’s and France’s Foreign Ministries.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
×