It is not clear when Erdogan can expel ambassadors

– We have not received any information from the Turkish authorities, says Hanna Ren, a press correspondent at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Describing the ambassador as a “persona non grata”, persona non grata, is the first step in the diplomatic process to expel ambassadors.

Staffan Herstrom has been Sweden’s ambassador to Turkey for just over a year. TT has been in contact with him via email but refers all questions to the State Department. The Secretary of State’s Press Secretary Anne Lind also refers to the State Department’s Press Division.

The State Department was unable to provide any other information at 15:30 on Sunday.

A total of ten countries

In addition to Herrström, these are ambassadors from the USA, Germany, France, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The background to Turkey’s anger is the country’s demands for the release of businessman and activist Osman Kavala.

The ambassadors wrote in a joint statement that the prison state was “casting a shadow” over Turkey. It builds on a 2019 European Court of Justice ruling and repeated calls by the Council of Europe for Kavala’s release.

Navy: tough reaction

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was surprised by Erdogan’s reaction.

– That’s a backlash. It is not news, she says, that human rights are a top priority in our policy Radio Yle.

The situation is very unfortunate and we are waiting for more information before drawing any conclusions. We are in dialogue, and Finland has actively emphasized the importance of human rights in Turkey both in bilateral talks and in the common European position. We have stressed the importance of respecting and following up on the decisions of the European Court of Justice, and therefore called for the release of this human rights activist, Marin continues.

Neither Denmark nor Norway has received any further information from Turkey.

“However, I can say that we have close contacts with our friends and allies on the issue,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told Danish TV2 on Saturday night.