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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Adem ALTAN/AFP) - 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday (Oct 23) told his foreign minister to expel the ambassadors of 10 countries, including Germany and the United States, who had appealed for the release of a jailed civil society leader.

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.

The escalating row with the Western countries - most of which are also NATO allies - caps a torrid week for Turkey in which it was added to a global money-laundering and terrorism-financing blacklist and its currency plunged over fears of economic mismanagement and the risk of hyperinflation.

"I have ordered our foreign minister to declare these 10 ambassadors as persona non grata as soon as possible," Erdogan said, using a diplomatic term meaning the first step before expulsion.

"They must leave here the day they no longer know Turkey," he said, accusing them of "indecency".

Several European countries said late on Saturday they had received no official notification from Turkey.

"We are currently in intensive consultation with the nine other countries concerned," the German Foreign Ministry said.

"Our ambassador has not done anything that would justify the expulsion," Norwegian foreign ministry spokeswoman Trude Maseide told media in her home country.

She vowed to continue pressing Turkey on human rights and democracy - comments echoed by Danish and Dutch officials.

The United States was aware of the reports and was seeking clarity from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a State Department spokesperson 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.

Erdogan passed anti-terror laws but they failed to impress FATF and critics said the new rules mostly targeted Turkish NGOs that promote pro-Kurdish causes and human rights.

The president's attacks on Kavala this week caused jitters in the markets with fears of a deepening confrontation with the West sending the lira slumping even further against the dollar.

Erdogan is in danger of "dragging the Turkish economy into a president-made crisis", Eurasia Group said//CNA