An ambassador is the highest diplomatic representative of a country in another country. He or she is the point of contact for that other country on behalf of the country he or she represents. The ambassador is also for compatriots who live in the other country. When they get into trouble, they can ask the embassy for help.
An ambassador can be seen as a deputy abroad of a head of state. The main task of the ambassador is to promote the interests of his home country abroad.
When an ambassador is called to the mat, he has to explain a certain event. This is done at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where he or she is stationed. He or she only listens to the complaint; a possible solution will only follow after consultation between the two governments. The content of those conversations is never disclosed.
Such a conversation can take place in response to a statement or action by a representative of the country. The reason may also be something that happens in the country that the ambassador represents.
Turkey summoned the Dutch ambassador Joep Wijnands on Tuesday. That happened after Pegida leader Edwin Wagensveld had torn up a Quran during a protest in the Netherlands. The Netherlands itself called the Iranian ambassador in December, because of the death sentences imposed on demonstrators in that country.
Called in October Russia the Dutch ambassador in Moscow on the carpet. An employee of the Russian embassy in The Hague is said to have been asked to defect. A month later, the Netherlands in turn summoned the Russian ambassador on the mat because Russia claimed that the trial of MH17 had not been fair.
Calling an ambassador on the mat is a fairly serious remedy. “But it happens regularly,” says Professor of International Relations André Gerrits. “Nowadays it seems to be more common than in the past, but it remains a pretty heavy tool. A government expresses its dissatisfaction with it in a very direct way.”
A country can decide for itself when to summon an ambassador. “Each state has its own sensitivities,” explains Gerrits. In the case of Turkey, according to the professor, there is more to it than burning or tearing up a Koran.
“If that was the real reason, another predominantly Islamic state could have done the same. In Turkey, elections are coming up, and they are at odds with the NATO accession of Sweden and Finland. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has an interest in it not to let things rest for the time being.”
In October 2021, Erdogan threatened to expel ten ambassadors from Turkey. The Dutch ambassador, among others, had called on Turkey to release businessman and political prisoner Osman Kavala. Erdogan later reversed his decision.
Calling an ambassador to the floor does not always lead to a counter-reaction. A country can decide to summon the ambassador itself, but that is usually not necessary. “Most countries accept it, especially if it is not accompanied by public unfriendlyness or consequences,” says Gerrits.
When countries go a step further and deport ambassadors, a counter-reaction often follows. For example, Russia announced on Monday that the Estonian ambassador must have left Moscow by February 7 at the latest. Estonia responded by sending the Russian ambassador away from Tallinn. Latvia then did the same, informing the Russian ambassador in Riga that he must be gone by February 24.
Countries can go even further, but that almost never happens. For example, a country can decide to expel an ambassador or recall its own ambassador from a country. In extreme cases, even diplomatic ties between two countries can be completely broken. That almost never happens because it is counterproductive, says Gerrits.
“Diplomacy is also intended to keep track of countries that are not directly part of the circle of friends. Those ties are especially important in countries with which you have lesser relations. If only for your own nationals in those countries.”
Gerrits understands people’s call to break ties with a country. But he emphasizes that this is unwise. “Even if countries are at war with each other, this does not mean that diplomatic relations will be terminated. Emotion, however understandable it may be, should not be decisive.”
