Turkey’s calling in embassy diplomat quite normal: Germany
Germany has rejected claims about heightened tensions with Turkey over a pro-Turkish rally in the city of Cologne after Ankara called in a high-ranking German diplomat.
Martin Schaefer, spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry, said Monday that it was quite normal for the Turkish Foreign Ministry to invite a diplomat of the German embassy.
“That happens in Turkey... That happens too in Berlin. Therefore that is not unusual,” Schaefer said, adding, “In the day-to-day dealings between countries, it is a daily event -- normal for a representative of a country to be called in to the Foreign Ministry of his host country.”
This came after a mass rally in the city of Cologne, where ethnic Turks residing in the city voiced their support for the Turkish government’s ongoing crackdown to nab those behind the July 15 failed coup attempt in the country.
Thousands attended the rally on Sunday, waving Turkish flags and holding images of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Much to the anger of Turkish officials, a German court decided to ban the demonstration's organizers from screening politicians’ live speeches from Turkey, including an address by Erdogan.
Presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, slammed the ban and said it was a "violation of the freedom of expression and the right to free assembly.”
Around three million ethnic Turks live in Germany, Turkey’s largest diaspora in the world. The pro- and anti-coup sentiments among the population have triggered German officials’ concerns.
Right after the coup attempt was declared over on July 16, Turkey began to detain coup plotters and sympathizers on a massive scale. Reports say more than 60,000 people have been sacked, suspended or detained as part of the government’s massive clampdown on those branded as coup plotters or sympathizers. Germany has censured the crackdown, saying it flouts the law.
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