Same old rhetoric
November 2, 2011
During his visit to Berlin to mark the 50th anniversary of a German-Turkish agreement on guest workers, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again slammed Germany for its integration policy.
"German politicians do not acknowledge enough the integration of the three million Turks in Germany," Erdogan said in Wednesday's edition of the mass circulation daily Bild.
Erdogan also demanded more support from Berlin for Turkey's bid to join the EU - a tricky subject as the current German government under Chancellor Angela Merkel favors what it calls a "privileged partnership" over full EU membership.
"Germany should do much more for Turkey's EU membership bid, as this would massively support integration. Because we Turks see Germany very positively, we feel very let down on this issue," Erdogan told Bild.
Harsh criticism
It is not the first time Erdogan has hit out at Germany, which is home to nearly 3 million people of Turkish origin. On previous trips, he has made similar comments, urging Turks in Germany to integrate, but not to "assimilate."
German parliamentarians are starting to tire of Erdogan's rhetoric. The Green party's expert on domestic affairs, Memet Kilic, told German daily Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung that the Turkish premier "intentionally keeps on fomenting negative stereotypes about Germany to please hard-line conservatives back home."
Kilic described these latest comments as "unbearable propaganda" and called for an apology, especially after Erdogan had gone as far as to accuse German foundations in Turkey of financially supporting the Kurdish terrorist organization PKK.
Erdogan is due to meet Merkel for a ceremony commemorating 50 years of a German-Turkish agreement on worker migration that saw millions of so-called guest workers flock to Germany from 1961 onwards.
Author: Nicole Goebel (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Michael Lawton