Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s political opponents said his call to expel the ambassadors of 10 Western countries was an attempt to distract attention from Turkey’s economic difficulties, while diplomats hoped the expulsions might yet be averted.
On Saturday, Erdogan said he ordered the envoys — including Canada’s — be declared persona non grata for seeking philanthropist Osman Kavala’s release from prison. The foreign ministry has not yet carried out the president’s instruction, which would open the deepest rift with the West in Erdogan’s 19 years in power.
The diplomatic crisis coincides with investor worries about the Turkish lira’s fall to a record low after
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