German spy agency sets sights on Balkans, focuses on Bosnia

November 28, 2017 By administrator

Germany’s foreign intelligence agency BND is increasingly focusing on the Balkans and especially Muslim-majority Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Berliner Zeitung reports. Bosnia faces a growing influence from the Gulf states.

The German Intelligence Agency (BND) is increasingly concerned about Islamist tendencies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Berliner Zeitung daily newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing sources from the intelligence community. The agency is allegedly also turning its attention to the whole of the volatile Balkan region.

For generations, the Muslim population in multi-ethnic Bosnia has adhered to a very liberal interpretation of Islam. This perspective was also reinforced by authorities in secular former Yugoslavia, which included Bosnia along with six other present day Balkan states. However, religious divisions flared up during the break up of the socialist state in the 1990’s and the influence of religion has been growing ever since.

During the war, volunteers from various Middle Eastern countries traveled to the Balkans to join forces with the Muslim Bosniaks. Many of them were issued Bosnian passports after the war and went on to recruit young people for their religious struggle.

According to Tuesday’s report, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are investing a lot of money to push a much stricter, Wahhabist teaching of Sunni Islam in the Bosnian society. Saudi charities also poured funds into building places of worship, including the King Fahd Mosque in Sarajevo, the biggest mosque in the Balkans, which is dominated by Wahhabis.

‘Fragile states’

Hundreds of people from Bosnia also traveled to the Middle East to join jihadi militias in the recent years, with similar cases also reported in the other Muslim-dominated Balkan states, Kosovo and Albania. According to Balkan media, the war in Syria attracted a number of veterans from the Yugoslav wars who went to fight as mercenaries.

Another issue, the Berliner Zeitung states, is that the country was part of the so-called Balkan route during the 2015 refugee influx, which saw over a million migrants travel from the Mediterranean across Greece and further north to reach the wealthy western European nations.

The BND is also cooperation with other intelligence services in their Balkan-related activities, according to the report.

Two weeks ago, BND chief Bruno Kahl described Bosnia and several ex-Yugoslav nations as potentially “fragile states.”

Turkey spies betraying asylum seekers in German immigration offices

October 17, 2017 By administrator

Asylum seekers face long individual interviews before being granted asylum

Officials working in Germany’s immigration authorities pass on information about Turkish asylum seekers to the Ankara government, according to press reports. Turkish spies may have infiltrated German authorities.

Turkish asylum seekers have accused interpreters, interviewers, and security personnel at Germany’s federal immigration authority (BAMF) of passing on their personal data to media outlets friendly to the Turkish government.

A joint investigation by Der Spiegel magazine and public broadcaster ARD found several cases where those fleeing political persecution in Turkey had been named and, in some cases, defamed as terrorists in the Turkish media shortly after a hearing at BAMF or an appointment with the office.

In many cases, their locations were also revealed in newspapers and TV reports – information that those affected said could only have come from inside BAMF, since even their families did not know where they were living.

In at least two cases, Der Spiegel reported, German domestic intelligence agencies had initiated an investigation. For its part, BAMF said that it had fired 15 freelance interpreters this year for “violations of the duty to neutrality,” though none of these were circumstances like those reported by Der Spiegel.

Hundreds of Turkish officials have sought political asylum in Germany in the face of an increasingly authoritarian crackdown in the country. In response to the report, Green party leader Cem Özdemir called for tighter security checks on interpreters.

Turkish spies

To Erkin Erdogan, it’s “obvious” that the Turkish government is spying on opposition activists across Europe, and especially in Germany, which has a Turkish community of 3 million people, around half of whom have Turkish citizenship. “I feel like the German authorities are not prepared enough to prevent such incidents,” he said. “This should be a clear warning for Germany. Turkey has a long arm in Germany. It’s an extension of the oppression in Turkey.”

He added that, since Turkey and Germany have an intelligence-sharing agreement, German authorities could warn people in Germany if they become aware that they are being targeted by Turkish agencies.

Breaking News: Angela Merkel Headed for Solid Victory in German Election,

September 24, 2017 By administrator

BERLIN — Angela Merkel is headed toward a fourth term as German chancellor, according to normally reliable exit polls released just after the polls closed in Germany.

But the polls also show that a far-right party, Alternative for Germany, has gotten some 13.5 percent of the vote, a significant showing of voter anger over immigration and inequality. For the first time in more than 60 years the far right will be represented in the Bundestag.

Despite her victory, Ms. Merkel and her conservatives cannot rule alone. The shape and policies of a new governing coalition will involve weeks of painstaking negotiations.

The center-left Social Democrats, Ms. Merkel’s coalition partners for the last four years, ran a poor second to her center-right grouping, and the AfD came in a solid third.

If the Social Democrats decide not to join a governing coalition, to rebuild their political profile, they will be the country’s official opposition. But if they join Ms. Merkel again, the AfD will take over that prominent role, which is bound to shake the consensus politics of Germany.

Turkey summons German ambassador to Ankara over Kurdish rally in Cologne

September 17, 2017 By administrator

Turkey has summoned Germany’s ambassador after more than 10,000 Kurds rallied in Cologne. The rally was in support of Kurdish independence as well as the jailed leader of the banned PKK.

Turkey summoned the German ambassador to Ankara in response to a large rally held by Kurds in Cologne on Saturday.

More than 10,000 people rallied in the west German city in support of an independence referendum in Iraq.

Ankara summoned ambassador Martin Erdmann to voice concern over what it called a militant rally, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We condemn the organization of a rally in the German city of Cologne by the extensions of the PKK terrorist organizations, and the allowing of terror propaganda. We have voiced our reaction in a strong manner to Germany’s ambassador to Ankara, who was called to the ministry,” it said.

On Saturday, Kurdish demonstrators called for freedom for Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), independence for Kurdistan, and democracy for the Middle East, local paper Kölner Stadt Anzeiger reported.

They had gathered at what was ostensibly a cultural festival organized by the Democratic Social Center for Kurds in Germany.

“We are protesting and celebrating at the same time – that is our culture,” attendee Rifat Arslan told the paper, after traveling there from Frankfurt with his family. “We demand a recognized and free Kurdistan and want the release of our leader Ocalan,” he was quoted as saying.

The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, Germany and the European Union.

Turkey accused Germany of not doing enough to stop PKK activities.

“The double standard approach Germany has been following with regards to the global fight against terrorism is worrying. We call on Germany to show a principled stance against all kinds of terror,” the ministry said in the statement.

On September 3, about 25,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in Cologne against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, where they also carried posters of Ocalan.

aw/jm (dpa, Reuters)

Armenian Genocide workshop slated for Sept. 14-17 in Germany

September 7, 2017 By administrator

A workshop on the Armenian Genocide will be held at the University of Potsdam in Germany on September 14-17.

Four institutions – the University of Michigan (the United States), Lepsiushaus Potsdam (Potsdam, Germany), the USC Institute of Armenian Studies (Los Angeles, U.S.) and the Sabancı University (Istanbul, Turkey) – will participate in the 4-day event.

Titled “Workshop on Turkish-Armenian Scholarships (WATS) 2017 – European Approaches to the Armenian Genocide”, the event seeks to shed light on the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915-1923.

Some three dozen countries, hundreds of regional government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the Armenian Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.

Turkey hinders author Asli Erdogan’s trip to Germany

August 29, 2017 By administrator

Turkish author Asli Erdogan’s passport has been revoked, prohibiting her from leaving the country to accept a peace prize in Germany. Charges have been brought against her as part of Turkey’s crackdown on free speech.

Asli Erdogan was to receive the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Prize in person in Osnabrück on September 22, but will now have to tune in to the awards ceremony in her honor via livestream, said the German city on Tuesday.

Known in English for her novel “The City in Crimson Cloak,” Erdogan is also a human rights activist, vocal critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and columnist for the pro-Kurdish newspaper Özgür Gündem.

Amidst Turkey’s clamp down on the press and free speech, she was charged with propagating terror, spent four months in prison last year, and is slated to stand trial again in the fall.

Erdogan had previously been given a travel band, which was officially rescinded in June. However, her lawyer said she nevertheless needs the permission of the Interior Ministry to travel abroad, and the authorities have not permitted her to leave the country for the September awards ceremony.

The prize jury was particularly impressed by Erdogan’s recent essay collection on the impact of the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey.

The city of Osnabrück has handed out the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Prize, named for the author of the World War I classic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” every two years since 1991. It goes to writers who demonstrate commitment to peace.

kbm/eg (AFP, epd)

Turkey rift: German politicians demand economic pressure

August 28, 2017 By administrator

Top German lawmakers have urged the EU to halt aid payments to Turkey and halt talks on a new customs union deal. The calls come as Berlin has revealed details of another German national detained in Turkey.

The leader of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) Martin Schulz, on Sunday accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of establishing a political tyranny and called on the European Union to scrap any further negotiations on expanding its customs union with Turkey.

“How much longer can one allow that a president, who has already lost all sense of restraint domestically, also loses every sense of restraint internationally?” Schulz said in an interview with German public broadcaster ARD. “Can we continue to accept that innocent German citizens languish in prisons in a country ruled by tyranny?”

According to the German government, 54 German nationals are being held in detention in Turkey, ten of which are for political reasons. Two of the most high-profile detainees are jailed journalist Deniz Yücel and rights activist Peter Steudtner.

Schulz, the main challenger to Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in next month’s federal election, warned that Germany would have to seek its own hardline measures against Turkey if Erdogan refused to cooperate.

One measure would be to halt any talks of expanding Turkey’s customs union with the EU. Ankara has made no secret of its ambition to boost market access for Turkish enterprises in the EU and sees the current arrangement, agreed back in 1995, as too restrictive.

Germany: Angela Merkel’s party lawmaker proposes freezing foreign assets of Erdogan’s family

August 25, 2017 By administrator

Freezing foreign assets belonging to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s family may be an option for Berlin as tensions between the two countries continues to grow, Roderich Kiesewetter, a politician from the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and spokesman of the Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated, according to Sputnik Agency.

The politician noted in the interview that such a measure should be the product of a balanced decision of the European Union as a whole, and one that would work in the long-term.

“For example, I think that it is possible that we freeze the foreign assets of Edogan’s clan… We are freezing the assets of Russian oligarchs, but we do nothing in relation to Turkey,” Kiesewetter told, as quoted by the source.

The agency reminds, that last week, Erdogan called Merkel-led CDU, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens party “enemies of Turkey” and urged ethnic Turks to vote against them in the September 24 election. In response, the German government said that it expected other states to abstain from interfering in its internal affairs.

Two German ministers want to attack Erdogan propaganda

August 23, 2017 By administrator

German Foreign Ministers and Justice on Tuesday called for a stronger control of the mosques that relay the “propaganda” of the Turkish president, the latest episode of a German-Turkish crisis that has worsened for months.

Earlier, German diplomacy chief Sigmar Gabriel accused Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s supporters of harassing his wife.

“We have to be careful that the Muslim communities of Germany do not fall under the influence of President Erdogan,” foreign ministers Sigmar Gabriel and Justice Heiko Maas write in a rostrum at the Spiegel.

“In no case can we tolerate parallel societies or even counter-companies,” the two ministers added. “Nor should we underestimate the dangers that emanate from the Erdogan state organizations in Germany,” according to the two Social Democratic leaders who want Germany to “protect people who protest against cultural warfare And the propaganda of Erdogan “.

The appeal came after Erdogan urged the German Turks not to vote for three of the major parties in the 24 September parliamentary elections, including the SPD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), “Enemies” of Turkey.

Germany is home to the largest Turkish diaspora in the world, with some 3 million people. Many of their mosques or religious communities are directly managed by the Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs through its organization, the Ditib, which sends imams to Germany.

In particular since Turkey’s failed coup in Turkey in July 2016, Turkish associations have been accused of relaying Erdogan’s increasingly aggressive policy towards German leaders.

A case of espionage by an imam of the Ditib shook the community and pushed Berlin to harden the tone.

The head of the German diplomacy also accused Tuesday of supporters of the Turkish government for threatening his wife because they felt encouraged by aggressive prominences of Mr. Erdogan.

The Social Democratic candidate in the chancellery, Martin Schulz, accuses the Turkish leader of “using the language of a brute counter instead of that of a head of state”.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan multiplied the invective towards the German politicians, directly attacking Mr. Gabriel.

Turkish Dictator Erdogan tells German Turks not to vote for Angela Merkel, CDU, SPD or Greens

August 18, 2017 By administrator

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Germany’s three main political parties as “enemies of Turkey” ahead of parliamentary elections. The comments drew a swift rebuke from Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday told Turks living in Germany they should punish mainstream German parties in September’s parliamentary elections.

“I am calling on all my countrymen in Germany to not make the mistake of supporting them,” he said, singling out Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democrats and the Greens as “enemies of Turkey.”

Instead he urged Turks to “support those political parties who are not enemies of Turkey,” calling it a “struggle of honor.”

Merkel sharply rebuked his remarks, rejecting Erdogan’s “meddling” and pointing out that “German voters, including the ones with Turkish background, have a right to vote freely.”

“We will not stand for any kind of interference,” she said from a Friday campaign event in Herford, northwest Germany.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel was also quick to condemn Erdogan’s comments, telling the RedaktionsNetzwerk media group they amounted to an “unprecedented act of interference in the sovereignty of our country.”

He accused the Turkish leader of seeking to incite people against each other, and urged voters to “show those who want to play us against each other that we will not participate in this evil game.”

Relations between the two NATO allies have become increasingly strained in the wake of last year’s failed coup in Turkey. One key point of contention is Ankara’s jailing of German nationals – a journalist and a human rights worker – amid the thousands of people who have been arrested in a post-coup crackdown. Turkey, meanwhile, has accused Berlin of protecting suspects alleged to have played a role in the coup attempt.

“I call on them not to vote for those parties who have been engaged in such aggressive, disrespectful attitudes against Turkey, and I invite them to teach a lesson to those political parties at the ballot box,” Erdogan said.

CDU leader Angela Merkel is running for a fourth term as chancellor in federal elections on September 24. Around one-third of the 3 million Turks living in Germany are eligible to cast votes.