Berlin vows to overhaul relations with Ankara
Germany on Thursday vowed stinging measures impacting tourism and investment in Turkey and a full “overhaul” of their troubled relations, signalling its patience had snapped after Ankara’s arrests of human rights activists.
The foreign ministry stepped up its travel advisory for the NATO ally, warning it could no longer guarantee its citizens’ safety amid “arbitrary” mass arrests, a step set to hit a sector crucial to Turkey’s ailing economy.
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a day after his ministry summoned Turkey’s ambassador, interrupted his holidays and returned to Berlin to deliver his unusually strong comments toward President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Relations between Turkey and Germany, home to 3 million ethnic Turks, have been badly strained, particularly since the failed coup attempt a year ago against Erdogan.
Gabriel said Germany would review state guarantees for foreign investment in Turkey and urge businesses against putting their money there, and also review its support for billions in EU financial flows earmarked for the long- time aspirant to membership of the bloc.
A Social Democrat, Gabriel made clear he was speaking for the coalition government led by conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her spokesman soon tweeted that the steps were indeed “necessary and indispensable.”
Gabriel recalled that Turkey had levelled Nazi jibes at Germany, and accused Erdogan of worsening a crisis that Berlin had repeatedly sought to ease through dialogue.
He accused Erdogan of trying to muzzle “every critical voice” with mass arrests in sweeping crackdowns over the last year.
Gabriel stressed that Germany still wanted to rebuild relations with its long- time ally but that first Erdogan’s government must “return to European values.”
A Turkish court on Tuesday ordered six human rights activists to remain in custody for allegedly aiding a “terror” group – among them Amnesty International’s Turkey director Idil Eser and Berlin- based activist Peter Steudtner.
Turkey in February arrested, on similar charges, GermanTurkish journalist Deniz Yucel of Die Welt daily and is holding several other German citizens.
Germany has granted asylum to some Turkish dissidents, journalists and military officers who feared being swept up in the post- coup arrests.