Merkel aide: Turkey’s conduct ‘unacceptable’
Ties fraught over arrests, German pullout from base • Erdogan in Jeddah over Gulf crisis
BERLIN/DUBAI (Reuters) – Turkey’s behavior is “unacceptable” and Germany has a duty to protect its citizens and companies but also wants to maintain strong ties with Ankara, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff said on Sunday.
Relations between the NATO allies have deteriorated since Turkey arrested six rights activists, including one German, two weeks ago as part of a wider crackdown since last year’s failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We want to have good relations with this big and important country, but that’s only possible if Turkey is and remains a state under the rule of law,” Peter Altmaier told newspaper Bild am Sonntag.
When asked about Turkey barring German lawmakers from visiting soldiers at a base in Turkey, the arrest of Germans and Erdogan’s recent comments on Germany, Altmaier said “Turkey’s behavior is unacceptable.”
Tensions are already high between the two countries following the arrest of a Turkish-German journalist and a pullout of German troops from a Turkish air base.
Berlin wants German rights activist Peter Steudtner and journalist Deniz Yucel to be freed, as there is no apparent reason for their arrests and the government is taking every opportunity to get consular access to them, to talk with the Turkish government and with Erdogan, Altmaier said.
The German government is monitoring developments in Turkey closely and will decide on sanctions if necessary, he said.
Germany has increased pressure on Turkey in the past few days, threatening measures that could hinder German investment there and saying it is reviewing Turkish applications for arms projects.
On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel sought to reassure the three million people in Germany of Turkish descent in a letter published in the Bild newspaper that they belonged and were not the target of changes to policy on Turkey.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told broadcaster ZDF that the Turkish diaspora in Germany meant ties with Turkey were “especially important” and they were probably suffering the most when they saw Ankara tearing down bridges built with Germany over many years.
Manfred Weber, who heads the conservative bloc in the European Parliament, told Der Tagesspiegel newspaper that Turkey was moving away from the European Union and its values, adding: “The accession talks, which were an illusion from the outset, must be completely terminated.”
The vast majority of Germans are unhappy with German policy towards Turkey, an Emnid survey for Bild am Sonntag showed. Some 76% said the government was not defending itself enough against Erdogan, while 12% disagreed.
Germany has warned citizens who travel to Turkey that they do so at their own risk. The Emnid survey, published on Sunday, also found 49% of Germans do not think they can go on holiday in Turkey anymore, while 44% think they can.
The head of foreign trade at Germany’s chambers of commerce told Welt am Sonntag newspaper that increasing bilateral tensions were creating uncertainty for German firms and would likely push trade volumes down by about 2 billion euros, some $2.3 billion.
Meanwhile, Erdogan arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and met with King Salman on Sunday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, his first stop on a Gulf diplomatic tour aimed at healing an Arab rift with Ankara’s ally Qatar.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges.
The boycotting countries want Qatar to close down a Turkish base, curb relations with their arch-foe Iran and close down the Al Jazeera TV channel.
Salman and Erdogan discussed “efforts to combat terrorism and its sources of funding,” SPA reported.
Erdogan is also scheduled to visit Kuwait, which is attempting to mediate the crisis, and Qatar during the two-day trip.