Western envoys announce compliance with Vienna Convention over Kavala row

The 10 western envoys in Turkey have announced that they abide by Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which calls on the envoys not to interfere in the internal affairs of the states they serve in.

The countries announcing their compliance on Monday were the US, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany and France.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the announcements by the embassies, according to presidential sources.

The statements came after the embassies in Turkey last week called for the release of Osman Kavala, a Turkish businessman who has been imprisoned over his alleged role in the 2013 Gezi Park protests and subsequent riots.

READ MORE: Turkey's president orders expulsion of 10 ambassadors over Kavala statement

'Meddling' in internal affairs

Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had summoned the ambassadors of these countries, accusing them of meddling in the Turkish judiciary.

Erdogan had said that he ordered the foreign minister to declare 10 ambassadors “persona non grata” over their statement on the ongoing case of Kavala.

“I told our foreign minister that we cannot have the luxury of hosting them in our country,” Erdogan told reporters in comments reported on Thursday.

Kavala was first arrested over criminal charges related to the 2013 Gezi Park protests, a small number of demonstrations in Istanbul that later transformed into nationwide protests.

The businessman was later remanded into custody by an Istanbul court as part of a probe into the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, with prosecutors accusing him of spying.

Kavala’s next court hearing is set for November 26.

READ MORE: Turkey summons envoys of 10 countries over remarks on Osman Kavala case