After the torso doming, de-escalation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally decided Monday not to carry out his order for the expulsion of ten Western ambassadors, including that of Canada, an order decreed with force and passion last Saturday.
The diplomats targeted by the sanction – representing the United States, Canada, France, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden – have raised the ire of the authoritarian president by signing a joint statement, last October 18, in support of the opponent of the Erdogan regime, businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, unfairly imprisoned, according to them, since 2017. They demanded, among other things, a “fair and rapid settlement” of this file and an “urgent liberation” of man.
The gesture was described as an “attack” and “insult” against the Turkish judicial system by the president who, on Saturday, ordered the expulsion “as quickly as possible” of the ten ambassadors, without however following his words by official letters.
Monday morning, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, we still did not know on which foot to dance after the announcement, outside diplomatic channels, of the expulsion of the Canadian ambassador. “We are currently in contact with other relevant missions to gather more information and we are also seeking more clarity from the Turkish government,” To have to John Babcock, Minister’s spokesperson.
Germany, one of Turkey’s most important economic partners, has also expressed “concern” and “misunderstanding” after Erdogan’s announcement of the expulsions. She recalled that “if the remarks of the Turkish president were to materialize, it would of course be a measure which would not be consistent with [sa] close bilateral relationship [avec la Turquie], but also with the fact that [les deux pays] are allies within NATO, ”government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a press conference.
Western tune-ups
On Monday, the ten embassies concerned, including that of Canada on Twitter account of its diplomatic mission in Ankara, published brief updates in which they assured to have acted “in accordance with the Vienna Convention and its article 41”, which frames diplomatic relations and prohibits any interference in the internal affairs of the country host.
These statements appeased the populist president, who, at the end of a government meeting at the end of the day Monday, lowered the tension a notch by believing that the Western ambassadors had “retreated”. “Our intention was not to create a crisis”, but to protect the sovereign rights of Turkey, he added to justify his own retreat.
The United States “took note” of the decision, but promised to “continue to promote the rule of law” and “respect for human rights” in Turkey, said the spokesman for the American diplomacy, Ned Price.
Osman Kavala has been jailed for four years without going to trial, on fanciful charges of taking part in a coup against Erdogan.
By reversing, Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to avoid an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Western countries which are nevertheless allies to him. Of the ten countries whose diplomatic mission is threatened with sanction by the populist, seven are members of NATO, of which Turkey is also a member, five are key economic partners and four are members of the G7. The Netherlands are also the first foreign investors in Turkey.
A risky strategy
The threat of expulsion, launched on Saturday in front of the populist’s supporters at a political rally, was made with the usual nationalist overtones in order to boost Erdogan’s electoral base which, less than two years from the next presidential election, sees its supports crumble. The strategy was risky, however, since by getting closer to this base, the president also approached a crisis that could have been fatal for the country.
At the opening of markets on Monday, the Turkish lira fell to its lowest level, the day after the call for the expulsion of diplomats, in a country already heavily affected by soaring inflation of more than 20 %, according to the latest official figures, and unemployment which is increasing, to exceed 12% last August.
Erdogan’s coup was in part aimed at distracting Turks from the crumbling economic and social climate. “Erdogan is tapping into his populist business to distract from the real issues facing Turkey today,” commented Hasni Abidi, professor of international relations at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Erdogan is tapping into his populist business to distract from the real issues facing Turkey today
The diplomatic tension, if it testifies to the coldness of the relations between Ankara and the main Western capitals, also creates a climate not very conducive to rapprochements, in a context where Erdogan, in power for 19 years, is expected Saturday at the G20 summit in Rome. , Italy, and Monday, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland.
With Agence France-Presse