Turkey has accused Germany of shielding terrorists and
threatened Chancellor Angela Merkel with scrapping the EU migrant deal once
again, following Merkel's decision to speak out against the decision by Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ban public officials and crack down on the
country's media.
"They are giving us advice. But who is concerned about
your stance? You are aiding terror!" Erdogan said in a recent speech in
Ankara.
Tempers continue to flare over the delay in visa-free travel
for Turkish citizens in the EU, as part of the refugee one-for-one deal made
between Ankara and Brussels.
"Our patience is approaching an end," Turkish
foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, told Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung,
over the delayed decision by Brussels to approve visa-free travel.
German justice minister Heiko Maas, said Berlin could refuse
to extradite individuals related to July's failed military coup in Turkey,
accusing Erdogan of so-called "cleansing." Meanwhile, Erdogan has
accused Germany of providing a safe haven for members of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party. Both groups are
classed as terrorist organizations by the European Union. Erdogan suggested
that Germany is in danger of becoming a "backyard" for FETO,
followers of the US Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, the man Erdogan blamed
for inciting the failed coup. "Terror is like a scorpion. Eventually it
will bite the one who is carrying it. I don't see a bright future for Germany.
It has become a place where terrorists take refuge," Erdogan said.
"There are racist attacks against Turks in Germany. It is unacceptable
that Germany protects terrorists." Relations have deteriorated rapidly
between Berlin and Ankara, following the crackdown on press freedoms after a
state of emergency was declared in the aftermath of the failed coup. Erdogan's
outburst followed remarks made by Angela Merkel about a spate of arrests of
journalists in Turkey.
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