Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday told his foreign minister to expel the ambassadors of 10 countries, including Germany and the United States
The envoys issued a highly unusual joint statement on Monday saying the continued detention of Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala"cast a shadow" over Turkey.
"We are currently in intensive consultation with the nine other countries concerned," the German Foreign Ministry said. The United States was aware of the reports and was seeking clarity from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a State Department spokesperson said.Kavala, 64, has been in jail without a conviction since 2017 on charges linked to 2013 anti-government protests and a failed military coup in 2016.But on Saturday, Erdogan described Kavala as the"agent in Turkey" of Hungary-born American billionaire George Soros -- a regular target of right-wing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
"Since I am accused of being a part of this conspiracy allegedly organised by foreign powers, my release would weaken the fiction," he said. Erdogan faces multiple challenges at home and abroad, with global financial misconduct watchdog FATF placing Turkey under surveillance for failing to properly combat money laundering and terrorism financing.