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