It is not clear when Erdogan will be able to expel the ambassadors

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

Describing an ambassador as “persona non grata,” that is, persona non grata, is the first step in the diplomatic process of expelling ambassadors.

Staffan Herstrom has served as Sweden’s ambassador to Turkey for just over a year. TT has been in contact with him via email but directs all questions to the State Department. The Foreign Secretary’s press secretary, Anne Lind, also refers to the State Department’s press division.

The State Department was unable to provide any further information at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

A total of ten countries

In addition to Herstrom, they are ambassadors from the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The background to Turkey’s anger is its demands for the release of businessman and activist Osman Kavala.

The ambassadors wrote in a joint statement that the prison situation “casts a shadow” over Turkey. It is based on a 2019 ruling by the European Court of Justice and repeated calls by the Council of Europe for Kavala’s release.

Marina: Strong reaction

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was surprised by Erdogan’s reaction.

– That’s a backlash. He says it is nothing new that human rights are a top priority in our policy Radio Yle.

The situation is very unfortunate and we are waiting for more information before drawing conclusions. We are in dialogue, and Finland has actively emphasized the importance of human rights in Turkey both in bilateral talks and in the European common position. We stressed the importance of respecting and following up on the decisions of the European Court of Justice, and so we called for the release of this human rights activist, continues Marin.

Neither Denmark nor Norway has received any further information from Turkey.

“However, I can say that we have close contacts with our friends and allies on this issue,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod told Danish channel TV2 on Saturday evening.