25 Oct 2021; MEMO: Reports that Holland's ambassador to Turkey has been deported from the country are allegedly false, amid Ankara's diplomatic fallout with Western states.
On Monday, ten Western ambassadors issued a joint statement calling for the release of Osman Kavala, the detained Turkish businessman and activist.
Urging a "just and speedy resolution to his case, they condemned the delays in his trial as casting "a shadow over respect for democracy, the rule of law and transparency in the Turkish judiciary system."
The Turkish Government responded furiously to the statement, with the Vice President Fuat Oktay tweeting that "the judiciary in Turkey is independent and Turkey is a fully independent country. Those who wish to intervene in the judiciary can continue to fulfil their wishes in their own country."
After the ambassadors were summoned for reprimand, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared them as "persona non grata" later in the week.
There also emerged reports that the Dutch ambassador, Marjanne de Kwaasteniet, was deported from Turkey, particularly by the German Bild newspaper.
That claim has now been reported to be false, with officials from Turkey's Foreign Ministry clarifying in a statement that "the news [about de Kwaastreniet] does not reflect the truth."
The nine other ambassadors – from the US, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden – are set to be expelled from Turkey, Erdogan has decided.
