Erdogan to open German mosque after imam spy row
▶ Turkish president moves closer to Europe after falling out with the US
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will open Germany’s largest mosque this week, less than two years after a clerical spying scandal tainted relations between the two countries.
There are lingering suspicions about a dozen Turkish imams who were investigated in connection with monitoring supporters of the cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is living in exile in the US and who Ankara accuses of organising an attempted coup in 2016.
Some of the imams were flown out of Germany before prosecutors announced last year that they would close their investigation without any charges being laid.
But tension remains after Mr Erdogan accused Germany of harbouring some of the coup plotters.
German media reported on Thursday that the country’s intelligence agency was considering permanent surveillance of the Turkish-Islamic organisation Ditib because of suspected “anti-constitutional religious-nationalist activities”.
Ditib, in Cologne, organises the training of imams in Turkey and funds hundreds of mosques in Germany.
They include Europe’s largest, in Cologne, and that will be opened by Mr Erdogan during the two-day visit starting on Friday despite the controversy over the spying scandal.
The ceremony is regarded as an opportunity for him to reach out to some of the three million people of Turkish origin who live in Germany. German officials have not sought to block Mr Erdogan’s visit.
“It’s a delicate balancing act,” said Dr Magdalena Kirchner, a senior analyst at consultancy Conias Risk Intelligence.
“Would you want to stop Turks from reaching out to the president when he’s there about dialogue and reconciliation?”
Mr Erdogan’s party’s attempt to rally the support of Turkish emigrants failed when German officials blocked campaigning within Germany to support his re-election and for a referendum that gave him sweeping new powers.
Mr Erdogan responded by comparing the officials to Nazis.
The stakes are high for Mr Erdogan after an economic crisis that was prompted by a fallout with the US over the arrest of an American evangelical pastor, Ankara’s shift towards Russia, and repression of dissent after the attempted coup.
Human rights campaigners and journalists said they would protest against Mr Erdogan during his visit because of his control over the media in Turkey, amid suspicions over the president’s leadership.
But the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel also wants an improvement in relations in part to protect more than 6,000 German businesses in Turkey, which are concerned about the prospect of recession, Dr Kirchner said.
A collapse of the Erdogan regime would raise broader strategic concerns about stability on the fringes of Europe because of Ankara’s role as a gateway into Syria.
Mr Erdogan will be feted with a state banquet and will meet Mrs Merkel to discuss Syria before he leaves on Saturday.
“The Turkish president sees Germany in particular, and the EU in general, as a counterbalance to the US,” said Aykan Erdemir, a former Turkish politician and senior fellow at the US Foundation for Defence of Democracies research centre.
“Erdogan also hopes that any funds and investment that Berlin can provide could help alleviate his economic problems at home. Germany feels the need to work closely with Erdogan to avert another wave of Syrian refugees.”