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Erdogan steps back from threat to expel Western envoys

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Raziye Akkoc and Dmitry Zaks, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, June 9, 2020. Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/06/11/health-coronavirus-turkey.jpg"/><figcaption>Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, June 9, 2020. Turkish Presidential Press Office/Handout via Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rowed back on Monday from his threat to expel 10 Western envoys over their joint statement of support for a jailed civil society leader.The reversal came after the United States and several of the other concerned countries issued identical statements saying they respected a UN convention that required diplomats not to interfere in the host country&#x27;s domestic affairs.Erdogan met his ultra-nationalist ruling coalition partner and then chaired an hours-long cabinet meeting at which his ministers reportedly advised him about the economic dangers of escalating tensions with some of Turkey&#x27;s closest allies and trading partners.He concluded the meeting by victoriously announcing in televised comments that the 10 ambassadors had learnt their lesson and &quot;will be more careful now&quot;.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/24/21/turkish-president-orders-expulsion-of-10-ambassadors">Erdogan orders expulsion of envoys who asked for release of jailed civil society leader</a></li></ul>The new Western statement &quot;shows they have taken a step back from the slander against our country&quot;, Erdogan said.The lira recovered from a historic low against the dollar on relief that Turkey and the West had stepped back from the brink of the most serious diplomatic crisis of Erdogan&#x27;s 19-year rule.US State Department spokesman Ned Price later told reporters that Washington intended to &quot;continue to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights&quot; while working with Turkey on &quot;many issues of mutual interest&quot;.Erdogan had originally threatened the ambassadors on Thursday and then doubled down -- pronouncing the 10 envoys &quot;persona non grata&quot; -- in televised comments on Saturday.Diplomats said the expulsions would have been unprecedented in relations between fellow NATO member states.<div> - &#x27;Skipping confrontation&#x27; -</div>The diplomatic standoff began when the 10 embassies -- including those of Germany and France -- issued an unusual statement last Monday calling for the &quot;just and speedy&quot; resolution of the legal case against jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala.The 64-year-old civil society leader and businessman has been in jail without a conviction for four years.Supporters view Kavala as an innocent symbol of Erdogan&#x27;s growing intolerance of political dissent since surviving a failed military putsch in 2016.But Erdogan accuses Kavala of financing a wave of 2013 anti-government protests and then playing a role in the coup attempt.Kavala&#x27;s case could prompt the Council of Europe human rights watchdog to launch its first disciplinary hearings against Turkey at a four-day meeting ending on December 2.The ambassadors said Kavala&#x27;s case &quot;cast a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary system&quot;.Yet analysts pointed out that several European powers -- including fellow NATO member Britain -- refrained from joining the Western call for Kavala&#x27;s release.&quot;The conspicuous absence of the UK, Spain, and Italy... is telling, pointing at the emergence of a sub-group within the Western family of nations adept at skipping confrontation with Ankara,&quot; political analyst Soner Cagaptay wrote.<div>- Financial turmoil -</div>Erdogan&#x27;s rule as prime minister and president has been punctuated by a series of crises and then rapprochements with the West.The Turkish leader has spent much of the past year trying to mend relations with Arab world rivals and long-standing European competitors such as Greece.But analysts said Erdogan has been disappointed by his attempts to win over US President Joe Biden -- an outspoken critic of Ankara&#x27;s rights record who refused to grant the Turkish leader a personal meeting on the sidelines of a UN summit last month.Erdogan appeared to reverse course this month by threatening to launch a new military campaign in Syria and then orchestrating changes at the central bank that infuriated investors and saw the lira accelerate its record slide.Turkey&#x27;s financial problems have been accompanied by an unusual spike in dissent from the country&#x27;s business community.Main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu accused Erdogan of trying to create an artificial diplomatic crisis that he could then blame for Turkey&#x27;s economic woes heading into a general election due by June 2023.zak/raz/tgb© Agence France-Presse

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rowed back from his threat to expel 10 Western envoys over their joint statement of support for a jailed civil society leader.

Erdogan steps back from threat to expel Western envoys

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Erdogan steps back from threat to expel Western envoys

Raziye Akkoc and Dmitry Zaks,

Agence France-Presse

Published October 26, 2021 12:43 PM PHT

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