Ankara criticizes German art depicting Erdogan as a dictator

July 5, 2017 By administrator

Ankara has slammed an art installation located outside the German Chancellery in Berlin that depicts Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a dictator.

The installation shows a car with a black-and-white banner showing pictures of Erdogan, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Do you want this car? Kill dictatorship,” it reads.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the installment only served to incite violence, while also slamming German police’s lack of intervention.

“The expression on the banner…makes a direct call to violence,” said the foreign ministry.

The incident occurred a few days before Erdogan is set to travel to Germany for a G20 summit, and after German officials rejected a request by the Turkish president to address ethnic Turks in Germany.

Relations have soured between Berlin and Ankara since a failed coup in Turkey in July last year. Germany has repeatedly criticized Turkey for a massive crackdown that was launched right after the coup, saying the action has been carried out beyond the rule of law.

The two countries have also clashed on several other issues, including Germany’s alleged support for Kurdish opponents and a referendum in Turkey last April, which gave Erdogan sweeping new powers.

Germany is home to some three million ethnic Turks. The country allowed in the Turks in the 1960s and 1970s as part of its massive post-war “guest worker” program. Erdogan held his last speech to members of the community in May 2015 in the city of Karlsruhe.

Germany doubles down on Erdogan rally ban during Hamburg G20

July 3, 2017 By administrator

Germany doubles down on Erdogan rally Berlin lawmakers have sought to quash rumors Erdogan still plans to host a rally on German soil during the G20 summit. Such a rally could be used to stoke support for a prospective vote to reintroduce the death penalty.

Underlining just how sour relations between Germany and Turkey had become, a German foreign ministry official warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday against even appearing at a Turkish consulate or speaking via web video link, when he arrives in Germany later this week for the G20 summit.

Last week, the German government denied a request from Ankara to allow Erdogan to address Germany’s Turkish community.

Responding to suspected rumors that the Turkish president would defy the German government, Martin Schaefer said that doing so “would be an affront to the clearly expressed will of the government and a violation of German sovereignty.”

Schaefer said that, while he couldn’t impose an outright on Erdogan speaking at a Turkish consulate, the government had options for influencing such actions.

Germany restricts political campaigns by foreign officials

Berlin’s rejection came onthe back a new law introduced last week that bans non-EU leaders from campaigning on German soil within three months of polls in their country. Foreign officials will also need to file a request with the German government to hold any kind of political event in the country.

The new law was introduced after a handful of Turkish politicians campaigned in Germany ahead of a referendum vote in April expanding Erdogan’s powers. Turkish residents in Germany were allowed to take part in the vote.

However, a number of local German authorities blocked Turkish lawmakers from speaking, citing security concerns. The move left Erdogan infuriated by what he described as “Nazi era tactics.”

The Turkish president is currently pushing a referendum to reintroduce the death penalty in Turkey. In this instance, Germany has said that its residents will not be allowed to participate in the controversial vote. The European Union has also warned that any such referendum would effectively end its bid to join the bloc.

Unveiling their manifesto ahead of September’s federal election, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, along with their Bavarian sister party, said on Monday that they rejected full Turkish membership to the EU.

Turkey bemoans speaking ban

Ankara decried the German government’s decision to reject Erdogan’s speaking request on Monday. The President’s spokesman accused Berlin of using “hostility towards Erdogan as way of making political gains” ahead of September’s federal election.

Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that even if the President wasn’t able to see his compatriots this week, “we will always be with them, in another place, at a different time and through some other means.

Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, also accused Germany of trying to sour tensions between the two countries. “Unfortuantely, some German lawmakers use animosity towards Turkey and especially animosity towards Erdogan for their own internal politics.

Berlin and Ankara have clashed on a number of other issues in the past year, including the detention of a German-Turkish journalist and the decision to refuse German delegates from visiting Bundeswehr troops stationed at a Turkish airbase.

dm/bw (Reuters, dpa, AFP)

‘Dissolution of NATO, military alliance with Russia’: German Left leader echoes Trump

July 2, 2017 By administrator

germany, A military security system, which would include Russia, should be set up instead of NATO, Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the German Left party said in an interview, echoing Trump’s recent statements on NATO.

“NATO must be dissolved and replaced by a collective security system including Russia,” Wagenknecht told Germany’s Funke media group on Tuesday. NATO has received its fair share of criticism in the German media following US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent interview published by Bild, in which he called NATO an “obsolete” organization.

“I said a long time ago that NATO had problems. Number one it was obsolete, because it was designed many, many years ago,” Trump said on Sunday.

“We’re supposed to protect countries. But a lot of these countries aren’t paying what they’re supposed to be paying, which I think is very unfair to the United States.”

These words were supported by Wagenknecht, who added that his comments “mercilessly reveal the mistakes and failures of the [German] federal government.”

The interview has not gone unnoticed, as a spokesperson of German Chancellor Angela Merkel commented that it was “read with interest” at the Chancellor’s office.

Meanwhile, NATO officials were rather “irritated” by Trump’s statements, according to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who talked to reporters after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Steinmeier said, however, that NATO is confident that the incoming US administration would keep to their country’s commitments to the alliance.

Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, vice president of the European parliament and member of the German party FDP, told Funke that Trump’s statements “remain vague and not so sound.”

The Left party is the largest opposition group in the German parliament, and has previously called for closer ties with Russia.

The comments come amid the amassing of US troops, tanks, and military equipment in Europe near Russia’s borders as part of a NATO operation called Atlantic Resolve. Following military exercises within the framework of the operation, the soldiers will be distributed among Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Baltic countries, with a headquarters unit in Germany.

Energy sector keystone of Armenian-German cooperation – minister

June 29, 2017 By administrator

The energy sector is among the keystones of Armenian-German cooperation, Ambassador Matthias Kiesler said today, highlighting the priorities of joint projects.
Speaking at a workshop organized for beneficiaries of a renewable energy loan program, the diplomat said his country has already allocated €150 million of which €50 million was spent on the renovation of the Vorotan Hydro Cascade’s electric power stations.

“We provide money also for retraining courses, so our meeting today is part of those activities. Apart from the energy power project – which has attracted €170 million – we also assist in the regional electric network improvement efforts. To do that we need also legislative regulations and acts,” he said, stressing also the importance of having effectively functioning networks.

The ambassador also called for stepping up the solar power production and evaluating the renewable power sources’ environmental impact.

“It is important for the key actors in the sector to properly understand renewable energy’s environmental impact to reduce it to a minimum,” he added.

Mr Kiesler, who is an electrical engineer by profession, said his country is now embarking on the production of non-traditional energy sources.

“I think that a gradual transition to renewable energy will be very useful for Armenia too. Renewable energy, particularly solar power, is considerably cheaper today, so it can be competitive with the traditional sources. For a country which has the [Metsamor] Nuclear Power Plant, as well as natural gas-powered stations as the key energy producers, it is very important to diversify the energy sources to supplement them with renewable power. That will help Armenia ensure the energy security in the country, as well as reduce the greenhouse gases’ export,” he added.

Germany denies permission for Erdogan rally during G-20 visit

June 29, 2017 By administrator

Germany will deny permission for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to address Turks at a rally when he visits for the upcoming Group of 20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany’s foreign minister said Thursday, June 29, according to The Associated Press.

Turkey officially requested permission Wednesday for Erdogan to make the appearance while in Germany for the July 7-8 summit, Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said during a trip to Russia. Gabriel said he had told his Turkish counterpart weeks ago that “we don’t think this is a good idea.”

“We are telling Turkey that we are convinced such an appearance in Germany is not possible,” Gabriel said, according to news agency dpa.

Earlier Thursday, Gabriel said that “Mr. Erdogan is an important guest at the G-20 and will be received with all honors by us there. But we believe everything that goes beyond that is inappropriate at this point in time.”

He pointed to stretched police resources around the G-20 summit as well as Germany’s current tensions with Turkey.

Erdogan last addressed supporters in Germany in May 2015. Germany has a large ethnic Turkish minority.

Earlier this year, Erdogan accused Germany, and Chancellor Angela Merkel, of “committing Nazi practices” after some local authorities blocked appearances by Turkish ministers hoping to campaign in Germany ahead of Turkey’s referendum on expanding presidential powers.

Relations between the two countries have been frayed by a widening range of other issues, including Turkey’s jailing of two German journalists.

Germany tells Erdogan’s bodyguards to stay away from Hamburg G20

June 26, 2017 By administrator

Photo of Erdogan’s bodyguards Terrorized Washington DC.

German officials are preparing for violence at the G20 but not all of it may come from protesters. The Turkish president’s bodyguards are renowned for clashing with activists.

The German Foreign Ministry warned Turkish bodyguards involved in violent scuffles in Washington last month not to attend the G20 summit in July, German media reported on Sunday.

Those warnings were then repeated to Bundestag members in closed-door meetings, respected national daily Die Welt reported.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said earlier that foreign powers did not hold sovereign powers, saying “foreign colleagues only have the right to self-defense,” the paper reported.

Hamburg Senator Andy Grote told Die Welt: “On our streets, only the Hamburg police have a say – and no one else. This includes foreign security forces.”

The Turkish Embassy sent the Foreign Ministry a list of 50 people who were to accompany Erdogan to Hamburg, local daily Hamburger Abendblatt reported on Sunday. The list reportedly included several agents who were involved in an incident in Washington last month.

Erdogan’s guards beat protestors

In May, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards allegedly pushed past US police to attack supporters of a Kurdish group following a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Videos posted to social media showed a group of men in suits punching and kicking protesters, including a woman lying down, while police struggled to stop the violence.

US authorities announced arrest warrants had been issued for 12 members of Erdogan’s security detail, including nine security guards and three police officers.

Turkeys Foreign Ministry lodged a formal protest with the US ambassador for the “aggressive” actions of US security personnel. It released a statement criticizing “the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program” and demanded a full investigation of the incident.

Last year Erdogan’s bodyguards also attacked a group outside the Brookings Institution, ejecting a Turkish reporter from the speech venue, kicking another and throwing a third to the ground outside the prominent think tank.

Protests planned for Hamburg

More than 10,000 left-wing extremists are expected to descend on Hamburg for the G20 Summit being held on July 7 and July 8. Hamburg is already a hotbed of left-wing activism and cars have been regularly torched in the lead up to the summit.

Adding to the possibility of potential violence is the large Kurdish presence in the Hanseatic city, many of whom support the banned Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). Several thousand well-organized Turkish right-wing extremists such as the Ulkucu (Gray Wolves) movement reportedly operate in Germany as well.

“The Kurdish scene is highly hierarchical, and does not need a long lead time to mobilize,” a senior security official told Hamburger Abendblatt.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV) warned Die Welt that street battles between Kurds and nationalist Turks could easily erupt.

Ankara maintains ban on German visit to Incirlik base

June 5, 2017 By administrator

Ankara maintains ban on German visit to Incirlik base Ankara, June 5, 2017 (AFP) – Turkish foreign ministers said on Monday that German deputies were still not allowed to visit the incirlik military base in southern Turkey where German soldiers are deployed .

“At present, it is possible (to the Germans) to visit the NATO base in Konya (center), but not Incirlik,” Mevlüt Cavusoglu told a joint press conference with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in Ankara.

The latter said “regret” this decision, reiterating that Germany could, if necessary, “transfer its soldiers” elsewhere. However, “there is not yet a decision or concrete plan” in this sense, added Mr. Gabriel.

This issue has caused a renewed tension between Ankara and Berlin, two partners within NATO whose relations have deteriorated in recent months, notably since the missed putsch of July 15.

Ankara banned German parliamentarians in mid-May from traveling to Incirlik to meet German soldiers deployed there. Turkey justified its ban by accusing Berlin of granting political asylum to Turkish nationals, including soldiers accused by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being linked to the July coup attempt. The Incirlik base, located in southern Turkey, is used in particular for the operations of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke last month about possible “alternative solutions to Incirlik”, such as Jordan. Another subject of tension between Ankara and Berlin is the case of Deniz Yücel, a binational journalist imprisoned since February in Turkey where he is accused of “espionage” and “terrorist” activities.

“The accusation is not related to journalistic activities, but with terrorist activities,” said Mr. Cavusoglu on Monday, adding, before Gabriel, that “European intelligence agencies use journalists as spies “.

After his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Gabriel was to be received in the afternoon by President Erdogan.

On the other hand, a planned meeting with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was canceled by the Turkish side because of an “overloaded agenda”, a Turkish official told AFP.

Germany revokes lese majeste law

June 3, 2017 By administrator

Germany revokes lese majeste law Germany’s parliament has voted to scrap its law protecting heads of state and governments from insults. The decision comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to indict a prominent German satirist.

The Bundestag early Friday voted overwhelmingly in favor scrapping Germany’s archaic lese majeste law, which criminalized insults directed at foreign heads of state and governments.

Also known as Paragraph 103 of Germany’s criminal code, the law captured global headlines last year after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed charges against German satirist Jan Böhmermann over a so-called “smear poem.”

The decision to scrap the law will come into effect on January 1, 2018.

Erdogan vs. Böhmermann

In March 2016, Böhmermann read out a poem on his weekly show on public broadcaster ZDF that included claims Erdogan watched child pornography and had sex with animals.

However, the satirist made clear that the poem’s intention was to show the difference between legitimate criticism and genuine insults, a satirical response to the thousands of “lese majeste” cases the Turkish president was pursuing in Turkey and abroad.

Nevertheless, Erdogan asked the German government to authorize an investigation into Böhmermann. Chancellor Angela Merkel approved the request, to considerable criticism at home. Böhmermann could have faced up to three years in prison if found guilty.

Prosecutors ultimately dropped the case in November, saying there was insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

Once the case was dropped, the German parliament’s upper house, the Bundesrat, voted in December in favor of scrapping Paragraph 103, a decision that was followed by Merkel’s cabinet the following month.

Restrictions on Böhmermann’s “poem” still apply

Despite being cleared of criminal charges, Böhmermann was still reprimanded by Hamburg’s regional court, which ruled that certain parts of the poem could not be published or broadcast.

According to Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court, artistic freedom is unconditional but not unlimited. Should it be found to infringe on an individual’s personal freedoms, including those of a foreign national, the merits of each would need to be considered. Although satire generally enjoys a large degree of artistic freedom, the same constitutional considerations would apply.

Following the Hamburg court’s decision, Böhmermann’s lawyer said the court had failed to “adequately consider” the satirist’s right to artistic freedom. A higher court is now hearing an appeal.

dm/sms (dpa, KNA, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)

Germany likely to pull troops out of Terrorist State of Turkey Incirlik air base

May 15, 2017 By administrator

The Berlin government is mulling moving its troops out of Turkey’s Incirlik air base after a second snub by Ankara. A German political delegation was denied approval to visit Bundeswehr soldiers at the military facility.

Wolfgang Hellmich, the chairman of the Bundestag Defense Committee, told the German news agency dpa “we’re not going to be blackmailed” by the Ankara government after a second German parliamentary delegation was prevented from visiting Turkey’s Incirlik facility. The air base is being used in the international fightback against so-called “Islamic State” (IS) militants.

A decision on where to move the Tornado units is likely to be made in the next few weeks, with Jordan seen as a favorite, sources from the Bundestag committee said.

New tensions

Turkey’s latest snub follows Germany’s decision to grant asylum to a number of Turkish military officers, who faced persecution following Turkey’s failed coup on July 15 last year, according to dpa.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Turkey’s latest move “unfortunate” in remarks to reporters in Berlin earlier in the day.

“The Bundeswehr is a parliamentary army and this makes it absolutely necessary for our lawmakers to have access to our soldiers,” Merkel said.

Turkey refused last year to grant German MPs access to the air base, only relenting in October after months of waiting.

The reason given then was that Germany had recognized the crimes committed by Ottoman Turks against Armenians in 1915 as constituting genocide.

Relations between Turkey and Germany have been in a downward spiral in recent months, with many German lawmakers outraged at what they see as flagrant repression of freedoms during Ankara’s post-coup crackdown. Dozens of journalists have been imprisoned – including the German-Turkish writer Deniz Yucel – and authorities have carried out mass sackings and arrests of public officials.

Ankara was also incensed by Berlin’s refusal to allow Turkish ministers permission to attend political rallies aimed at Turkish voters living in Germany in support of a referendum granting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greatly extended powers. Many observers see Erdogan’s referendum success as a further step toward establishing an autocracy in Turkey.

Bundeswehr is key partner

Germany currently has several Tornado surveillance aircraft and a refueling plane deployed at the Incirlik military base in southwestern Turkey. The jets are part of the international coalition carrying out aerial attacks on IS positions in Iraq and Syria. Some 260 German military personnel are stationed there.

mm/jm (dpa, Reuters)

Armenian dance group wins competition in Germany

April 19, 2017 By administrator

On 8 April, the Anoush Armenian Dance Group of the Armenian compatriotic union in Munich participated in a competition for Germany’s qualified dance groups and won the first prize after scoring 90.3 points.

During the folk dances part of the competition, one of the dancers, 15-year-old Meline Hubakh performed a solo dance to Sayat-Nova’s song “Nazani”.

As the dance group’s founding dance instructor and artistic director Anoush Chakhalyan told Hayern Aysor, the dance group won after a tough competition, since all of the dance groups were professional and stood out with their high level of readiness.

“This victory is a great achievement for us, and we are very happy. Of course, we thought we might win, but we weren’t expecting it,” Anoush Chakhalyan stated, adding that foreigners approached her and expressed their admiration of the Armenian dances after the competition.

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