German Minister Addresses Turks as EU Reacts to Diplomatic Spat
- Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel writes open letter on dispute
- Germany, Turkey at odds over arrests; EU official weighs in
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Germany’s foreign minister penned a memo to Turks defending his government’s actions, the latest move in a diplomatic feud between the countries that also saw Germany getting support from the European Union.
Sigmar Gabriel published an open letter to German Turks in both languages in Saturday’s edition of the popular Bild newspaper, saying the government “can’t just sit idly by” and has to protect its citizens after Turkey’s jailing of German human rights activists and two journalists. Meanwhile, European Union Commissioner Johannes Hahn said Ankara is on a “destructive course” and backed Germany in an interview with the newspaper Die Welt.