Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the ambassadors of 10 countries to declare themselves “no-man’s land” after calling for the release of the businessman. Philanthropist Osman Kavala, Anatolia News Agency., Saturday.
Earlier, the embassies of Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United States issued a joint statement commemorating the fourth year of the Guard.
These countries called on Turkey to respect the decision of the European Court of Human Rights and to “ensure its immediate release.”
The statements of Recep Tayyip Erdogan provoked different reactions to the statement from many of the signatories. Germany, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands responded to the Turkish president’s order to expel the ambassadors.
In a tweet, German Ambassador to the UK and former Foreign Minister of the German Foreign Ministry Andreas Michelis said Erdogan’s decision was “unprecedented. Acting against the United States, Germany and others cannot be in Turkey’s interest. We have not forgotten.” A partner in NATO!
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any official information on the status of the ‘non-persona grata’. We are in close contact with our like-minded partners in this matter and will certainly continue to uphold our shared values and policies,” Danish Foreign Minister JP Cofot told CNN in a statement.
Norway has not yet received confirmation from Turkey of the expulsion of the Norwegian ambassador, according to a statement from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said on Saturday that Norway was “aware” of media reports regarding the expulsion of the Norwegian ambassador to Turkey, and that its embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, had not yet received official confirmation from Turkish officials.
“Our ambassador did not provide any evidence of deportation,” Trot Moseid, head of communications at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, told CNN. “We have repeatedly raised concerns with the Turkish authorities about the human rights situation in Turkey. This is a specific case.
In a related context, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the Netherlands was “waiting for contact” from Turkey regarding the expulsion of the Dutch ambassador from Turkey, adding that the government had not yet received official confirmation.
Finland said it was “aware” of Erdogan’s comments, but has no comment at present.