The head of the EU delegation to Turkey welcomed on Tuesday the de-escalation between Ankara and some Western nations over the threat to expel ambassadors following a call for the release of businessperson Osman Kavala.
"I think everyone found a face-saving way out (of this crisis)," Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) in Istanbul.
The top EU envoy said he hopes the sides will continue working together based on common interests despite the challenges.
The Turkish side said that the countries’ attempt to intervene in a judicial process regarding Kavala is unacceptable.
However, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey backtracked on Monday and stated that: “In response to questions regarding the Statement of October 18, the United States notes that it maintains compliance with Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations.”
Article 41 encompasses respecting the laws and regulations of the receiving state and stipulates that the internal affairs of said state should not be interfered with.
Canada, Netherlands and New Zealand each sent a similar message, while Norway and Finland re-tweeted the U.S. message.
Presidential sources stated that the statements of the embassies were welcomed by Erdoğan.
Declaring a diplomat as persona non grata usually means that the individual is banned from remaining in their host country.
Kavala, a Turkish businessperson, has been imprisoned for four years now over his alleged role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests and subsequent riots.
Last week, the embassies of the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden called for Kavala's release in a joint statement.
