“Conciliatory words”
In an open letter, German Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel appeals to persons of Turkish descent living in Germany.
Given the current crisis in German-Turkish relations, German Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has set a clear example and written an open letter to the approx. 3 million persons of Turkish descent living in Germany today. Writing “on behalf of the entire Federal government,” Gabriel emphasized in an op ed for Germany’s largest-circulation daily, “Bild”: “Irrespective of how difficult political relations are between Germany and Turkey, what is clear to us is that you, people of Turkish descent in Germany, are part of us, whether you have a German passport or not.”
We know that good relations between Germany and Turkey are important to you.
On 20 July the German Federal Foreign Minister announced in a press release that German policy towards Turkey would be re-aligned. This had been preceded by German human rights activist Peter Steudtner being arrest in Turkey; he is accused of supporting terrorism. The charge is, the Federal Foreign Minister said, “quite evidently unsubstantiated”, who in his statement also criticized that German-Turkish journalists Meşale Tolu and Deniz Yücel are being hled in custody in Turkey.
In his open letter Gabriel emphasizes that “respectable German citizens have been thrown into jail”. “As the German Federal government we cannot idly sit back and let this happen. We must protect our citizens.” He went on to write that cooperation with the Turkish government needs to be revisited. However, Gabriel also underlined that “nothing of this is directed against people in Turkey or our fellow citizens in Germany who have Turkish roots.”
The Turkish Community in Germany welcomed the “Foreign Minister’s conciliatory words”, its Federal Chairman Gökay Sofuoğlu stated to the newspaper “Welt am Sonntag”: “In the current situation it is correct to show a willingness to engage in dialogue. It is a positive signal to the Turkish community.”
