Erdogan takes Turkey-Germany feud to next level
Already-strained Turkish-German ties take a turn for the worse as Erdogan calls on Turks in Germany not to vote for mainstream German political parties, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party.
Turkish-German ties continue their downward spiral. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains on the warpath against Berlin, despite concerns within his Justice and Development Party, especially among quarters overseeing the economy.
The angry tone in German retorts to Erdogan is also escalating as Chancellor Angela Merkel unfolds a series of measures including pressurizing the European Union to act against Turkey and punish Ankara economically.
Merkel has announced that they want the EU Commission to curb funds to Turkey and not enhance the EU-Turkey Customs Union. Nevertheless, she remains opposed to ending Turkey's EU membership talks for pragmatic reasons.
Tensions, which seem to be nearing a point of no return, are also expected to make life for Germany’s estimated 3 million ethnic Turks more difficult, especially for Erdogan’s hundreds of thousands of supporters in that country.
