Turkey Demands Better German Cooperation Against PKK

Merkel’s difficult dialogue with Erdogan | Deutsche Welle – Feb. 2013 |

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could not bridge their differences on key topics but agreed to continue an open dialogue. Both leaders hailed strong economic ties.

○ Focus magazine “BND – The Ears on Bosphorus” (Aug. 2014)

« click for more info Turkey demanded better German cooperation in dealing with the PKK (Credit: DW - Jan. 2016)

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Disagreements between Merkel and Erdogan were not limited to the Cyprus problem. The German chancellor also underlined the importance of press freedom in Turkey and criticized long detention periods for dozens of imprisoned journalists, which critics say are politically motivated. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), some 76 Turkish journalists were in jail as of August 2012, and at least 61 of those were imprisoned as a direct result of their work.

Asked about these charges, Erdogan claimed that less than 10 of these prisoners were journalists. “They are not imprisoned for their journalistic work,” Erdogan said. “They are imprisoned either for participating in coup plots, or having illegal arms or acting in coordination with terror organizations.”

“The judiciary is independent in Turkey and we have to respect this, just as we do in Germany,” Erdogan said.

During the press conference, German Chancellor also underlined the importance of religious freedom for Turkey, called for religious foundations to operate freely in Turkey – and in every country in the world. She also met with Turkey’s Muslim and non-Muslim religious minority leaders, though representatives of Turkey’s Alawite community were not invited to the meeting, at the request of the Turkish government, to the surprise of Merkel’s delegation. Last month, Erdogan publicly criticized Germany for trying to create divisions among Turkey’s Muslims by giving support to the Alawite community.

Kurdish conundrum

One of the key topics in Merkel’s visit was combating the activities of the Kurdish extremist group the PKK in Europe and Germany, but Turkish hopes for concrete measures remain unfulfilled. Erdogan recently accused Germany and other European nations of not responding to Turkish requests for the extradition of militants wanted by Turkey.

“Germany will do its best in the struggle against terrorism, and against the PKK,” Merkel said during her press conference with Erdogan, and promised closer cooperation between German and Turkish security officials – though the Turkish prime minister made no comment.

Merkel described Germany’s Turkish community as a bridge between the two countries, but refrained from announcing any steps to address their complaints about German laws that prevent them from acquiring dual nationality. Merkel did not show any flexibility on visa liberalization either, while Erdogan stuck to his own position and said that Turkey will only sign a “readmission agreement ” with the EU and accept illegal migrants who reach Europe via Turkey, if the EU takes simultaneous steps towards visa liberalization for Turkish citizens.

« click for more info Rallying against Erdogan and 'Islamic State' in Cologne - August 2015

Turkish Prime Minister in Berlin: Erdogan Escalates Germany Criticism | DW – Nov. 2011 |