ANKARA: Turkey accused Germany on Friday of scandalous behaviour in cancelling rallies of Turkish citizens in two German towns due to be addressed by Turkish ministers and said Berlin provided a “shelter” for people committing crimes against his country.
The comments by Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, who had been scheduled to address a meeting in the southwestern town of Gaggenau until it was cancelled on Thursday, reflected a broader souring of relations between the two NATO allies.
“Let them look back at their history,” Bozdag said in a speech suggesting a deeper rooted chauvinism in Berlin. “We see the old illnesses flaring up.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking in Tunis, pushed back, saying Berlin had no part in steps taken by city councils who, according to one mayor, acted purely on security grounds.
She renewed her criticism of Turkey’s treatment of journalists after Ankara’s arrest of Deniz Yucel, a correspondent for the prominent Die Welt newspaper, and said Berlin would not be silenced.
“We support freedom of expression and we can criticise Turkey,” she told reporters.
The foreign ministry was doing all it could to help dialogue and urged Ankara to refrain from “pouring oil on the fire” with incendiary remarks.
Gaggenau would have been part of efforts to garner support among 1.5 million Turkish citizens for an April referendum expanding President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers – something he has sought with increased urgency since an army bid to topple him.
Erdogan has accused West European countries of failing to condemn the July putsch quickly or strongly enough. West European countries have expressed concern about his crackdown on journalists, judiciary, academics and others accused of links.
The city of Cologne also blocked an event where Economy Minister Nihat Zeybecki was to speak on Sunday. Zeybecki said on Twitter on Friday he still planned to go to Germany, and was still due to appear at another event in western town of Frechen.
“We say the victory is God’s…I will go from cafe to cafe, house to house,” he said. “Nobody should worry, we will still meet with our citizens in Germany.”
Authorities in Gaggenau evacuated the city hall for hours on Friday after receiving a bomb threat, its mayor told n-tv German television. Asked if it was linked to the cancellation, mayor Michael Pfeiffer said: “We presume this at the moment, but we don’t know for sure.”
