US, other countries announce compliance with Vienna Convention amid Kavala row

The embassies of the US and several other countries in Turkey announced on Monday that they abide by the 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.

Among the countries announcing their compliance were the US, Canada, the Netherland, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the announcements by embassies, according to presidential sources.

The statements came after the 10 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.

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.