The Armenian Weekly. BERLIN, Germany. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel blasted Turkey’s ongoing crackdown on those in opposition to ruling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a press conference on July 20, calling on the Turkish Government to return to a respectful dialogue “on the basis on European values,” as well as urging Turkish authorities to release wrongfully imprisoned German citizens.
The Minister accused Erdogan for wanting to “destroy the foundations” of rule of law and democracy in Turkey. “Someone who dismisses hundreds of thousands of civil servants, soldiers and judges, throws tens of thousands of people, including Members of Parliament, journalists and human rights activists, in prison, robs thousands of people of all their worldly goods by means of expropriation, closes down hundreds of press organizations, accuses dozens of German companies en bloc of helping terrorists—and by the way, does all this on unfounded grounds and without respecting the fundamental principles of the rule of law—and is now pleading the case for the death penalty, clearly wants to turn back the tides of time and to destroy the foundations of the rule of law and democracy that had only become so stable in recent years,” Gabriel said during the press conference.
According to Gabriel, German-Turkish relations have been under a great strain in recent times and that Turkey has “left behind” what NATO has always aimed to be an alliance of values. The Foreign Ministry also issued a travel warning after Turkish authorities detained human rights activists for alleged terrorist activity.
“One cannot advise anyone to invest in a country if there is no longer legal certainty there and even companies are being accused of supporting terrorists,” Gabriel said, adding that the German Government cannot continue to guarantee German corporate investments in Turkey. He also demanded the release of and “swift and fair” trials for Peter Steudtner, Deniz Yücel, Meşale Tolu, and other Germans accused of political crimes. (Gabriel’s comments can be read in its entirety below)
A day earlier, on July 19, a German Federal Foreign Office spokesperson issued a statement announcing that the Turkish Ambassador was summoned on the instructions of Foreign Minister Gabriel. “It was necessary to inform the Turkish Government directly, immediately, and unambiguously about the German Government’s outrage and lack of understanding, as well as its crystal-clear views and expectations, in the case of Peter Steudtner – and to do so without using diplomatic pleasantries,” a part of the statement read.
Steudtner and other German human rights activists have remained in custody, despite calls for their release German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel called the detention “absolutely unjustified” and declared Germany’s solidarity with Steudtner and all the others arrested. “The German government will do all it can, on all levels, to secure his release,” she said in a statement.
Erdogan’s spokesman lashed out at Germany after Gabriel’s comments, saying Ankara could not accept such a stance. “It is not possible for us to accept statements aiming to blur the economic environment based on political motivation, we hope they turn back from this,” Ibrahim Kalin said at a news conference in Ankara.
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