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The decision by Turkish authorities to declare 10 foreign ambassadors - including seven from Europe - as persona non grata is a "tough reaction" and "regrettable," the Finnish Prime Minister said on Sunday, according to Euronews.

The 10 ambassadors called for the release of businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala — jailed in 2017 despite having not having been convicted of a crime — in a joint statement last week.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the statement was an “impudence” and ordered the ambassadors to be declared undesirable.

“I gave the instruction to our foreign minister and said ‘You will immediately handle the persona non grata declaration of these 10 ambassadors,’” Erdogan told supporters during a rally in Eskisehir.

“They will recognise, understand and know Turkey. The day they don’t know or understand Turkey, they will leave.”

The diplomats, including the ambassadors of France, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and the US, were summoned to the foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told public broadcaster YLE on Sunday that "this is a tough reaction" from Erdogan.

“This is a very regrettable situation. We’ve considered it important that the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights are respected and complied with, and therefore have called for the release of this human rights activist,” Marin said.

She also said that Helsinki was engaged in a dialogue with Turkish officials and was waiting for further information from Ankara before “drawing any conclusions”.