German President Says Need to Send Erdogan ‘Stop Signals’
- Germany ‘can’t accept’ persecutions, silencing of opposition
- Ankara hurting decade-old Germany-Turkey relations is ‘bitter’
German-Turkish Tensions Escalate Over Trade
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is right to act against what he called unacceptable Turkish policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he said seeks to quench the country’s opposition.
“Many who have worked cooperatively with him and his party in the last few years are now being persecuted, are thrown in jail, are being silenced. We can’t accept that,” Steinmeier said in excerpts of an interview with ZDF public television released before broadcast Sunday evening. “It’s a question of the self-esteem of our country to send clear stop signals.”