TURKEY | 27.02.2011

Ahead of visit, Turkish Premier Erdogan launches fresh criticism at Berlin

 

Erdogan's Sunday speech in Düsseldorf is aimed at millions of Turks living in Germany

Ahead of a trip to Germany, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan called out Chancellor Angela Merkel on her stance against Turkey joining the EU. German-Turkish relations are tense - largely over Germany's Turkish minority.

 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renewed his criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a visit to Germany.

Erdogan repeated his call for aid in allowing Turkey to join the European Union. Merkel has until now advocated a "privileged partnership" with Turkey but staunchly opposed the country gaining EU membership.

"The Turkish people expect Germany to take the lead role in the EU's membership negotiations with Turkey," Erdogan said in an interview with German daily Rheinische Post.

Erdogan claimed that Merkel was stalling Turkey's membership talks with the EU "for purely political reasons," and that the delay was a tactic largely aimed at keeping German voters happy.

"Never before have such political hurdles been put before an [EU] accession country," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, Volker Kauder, head of the parliamentary faction of Merkel's Christian Democrats, told Rheinische Post he did not want to see any continuation of Turkey's accession talks "as long as Turkey does not guarantee full freedom of religion."

He added that that "included allowing Greek Orthodox Christians to train priests in Turkey."

Integration on the table

Merkel and Erdogan are set to open the CeBit technology fair together

Erdogan appeared ready to stir debate within German national politics, as well.

The Turkish premier is due to address ethnic Turks living in Germany on Sunday in Düsseldorf. In his interview with Rheinische Post, Erdogan reiterated some of the positions he took three years ago in a similar speech in Cologne, which caused uproar in Germany.

Erdogan told Rheinische Post Germany's integration policies did not take into consideration its Turkish communities' needs and expectations.

He added that policies aimed to encourage ethnic Turks to speak German as their mother tongue and give up Turkish culture were a "violation of international law."

Erdogan called on Germany to "seek cooperation with Turkish migrants, civil society groups and the Turkish government." He said that Germany had so far shown little respect for the "views of the responsible authorities in Turkey."

Meanwhile, German Integration Commissioner Maria Böhmer urged Erdogan to promote integration in his Sunday speech.

"It would be a strong signal to [tell] our migrants of Turkish origin to learn German and to take advantage of the opportunity to send their children to kindergarten," Böhmer told the Sunday tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

Schröder supports Turkey

Erdogan said Merkel's efforts to block Turkey were 'purely political'

Merkel's predecessor, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, meanwhile sided with Erdogan on the issue of Turkish EU membership in an interview with the newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.

"All this talk of offering Turkey a meaningless privileged partnership instead of EU membership must end," said Schröder, who was Germany's chancellor from 1998 to 2005.

Schröder, who is set to meet Erdogan early Monday, stressed that it was in Germany's own interest to allow Turkey into the EU, as Germany was Turkey's biggest trade partner. 

Later on Monday, Erdogan, together with Merkel, is due to inaugurate the information technology fair CeBit Monday in Hanover, where Turkey is this year's official partner country.

Author: David Levitz (AFP, AP, dpa)

Editor: Toma Tasovac

 

 

dw