Turks Safe in Germany, Merkel Says, Dismissing Ankara’s Warning
TEHRAN(Tasnim) - Turks can safely come to Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday, dismissing a warning from Ankara that its citizens should take care when travelling there due to “an increase in anti-Turkish sentiment.”
Tensions between Berlin and Ankara have been bubbling for months and Turkey’s warning on Sept. 9 came after Germany’s foreign ministry said on Sept. 5 Germans travelling to Turkey risked arbitrary detention even in tourist areas, Hurriyet daily news reported.
“I want to say very clearly that all Turkish citizens can travel here,” Merkel said in the northwestern German town of Delbruck during a campaign event ahead of a Sept. 24 election.
“No journalists get arrested here and no journalists get put in custody. Freedom of opinion and the rule of law prevail here and we’re proud of that,” Merkel said.
She pointed to German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel, who has been detained in Turkey for more than 200 days. He is one of the 12 German citizens now in Turkish detention on political charges, four of them holding dual citizenship.
“We think there’s no justification at all for him being in prison and the same applies to at least 11 other Germans,” Merkel said.