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New test in German-Turkish relations due to Osman Kavala

German-Turkish relations face a new test, just one week after Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Istanbul and despite public compliments, Following the order of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to declare “persona non grata” the German ambassador and nine other counterparts, who demanded the release of the opposition activist, publisher and businessman.

Berlin is in consultations with countries whose ambassadors have been described as “undesirable” and threatened with deportation from Turkey. At the same time, according to German wave, The reactions of the German parties are intense.

So far the German government has refrained from taking a public position, but is rather oriented towards handling the case in coordination with the other nine states.

“We are aware of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements as well as the relevant news, and we are currently discussing them with the other nine countries involved,” German Foreign Ministry sources told the German News Agency (dpa). A similar cautious stance is taken by the US State Department, which has announced that it is seeking clarification from the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Reactions of the German parties

German Vice President Claudia Roth has called for sanctions against Turkey. According to the Green politician, “Erdogan’s ruthless actions against his critics are becoming more and more uncontrollable.” His “authoritarian course” should be tackled with sanctions and a halt to arms exports to Turkey. In a twitter message, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, vice-president of the Liberal Party, said that “a possible expulsion” of the 10 ambassadors from “NATO ally Turkey would be reckless, non-diplomatic and weaken the cohesion.” Graf Lambsdorff doubts that Mr. Erdogan would like such a development. The outgoing chairman of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Robert Rγκtgen, has been harshly critical of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Speaking of “escalation in foreign policy”, the Christian Democrat politician blames the Turkish president for “leading his country further away from Europe and the West”.

The only party that shows understanding for the Turkish stance is the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Peter Bistron, the’s spokesman for foreign policy, blames the German Foreign Ministry and the Commission for interfering in Turkey’s internal affairs. Instead of choosing the diplomatic route for the release of Osman Kavala, the two institutions engaged in “political activism”. As a result, relations with Turkey are deteriorating, which is not in Germany’s interest, the AfD MP said.

We remind you how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday instructed the Turkish Foreign Ministry to declare them “persona non grata” the ten ambassadors, including France, Germany and the United States, have called for the release of opposition activist, publisher and businessman Osman Kavala.

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