Presidential Spokesperson Kalın Criticizes Remarks of Merkel, Schulz on Turkey

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Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın has responded to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's and her opponent, SPD's candidate for the German Chancellorship Schulz's comments on Turkey's EU membership negotiations during a TV election debate yesterday (September 3).

Criticizing Merkel's and Schulz's remarks on his Twitter account, Kalın argued that it could not be a coincidence that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dominated the election debate and said:

"Ignoring fundamental and urgent issues in Germany and Europe and attacking Turkey and Erdoğan instead is a reflection of the narrowing perspective. The hostility against Turkey in Europe has become an instrument to help postponing fundamental problems and relieving oneself through a hostile "other".

"Does Germany who openly embraces organizations such as PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) and FETÖ (Fethullahist Terrorist Organization), not realise that it supports terrorists and coup plotters and not the democracy?

"It does not matter which party wins the elections in Germany. Because we already can see which mentality will. The fact that Merkel and Schultz have not addressed discrimination and racism during the whole debate shows which point politics have reached in Germany. We hope that this problematic atmosphere and picture which sacrifices Turkey-Germany relations to a narrow political perspective changes as soon as possible".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her opponent, Social Democratic Party of Germany's (SPD) candidate for the German Chancellorship Martin Schulz had faced off in a TV election debate yesterday (September 3). One of the discussion topics was Turkey and the European Union membership negotiations with Turkey. While SPD's candidate Schulz, who was also the former President of the European Parliament said that he would halt accession talks with Turkey, Merkel pointed out that Turkey was departing from all democratic practices and said "real restrictions on economic contact" should be imposed.(YY/DG)