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WORLD NEWS A9
Thursday 9 March 2017
Germany hopeful relations with Turkey can normalize
DAVID RISING German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel addresses the media during a statement at the foreign gan has accused of being
Associated Press ministry in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 8, 2017 after his meeting with his counterpart from
BERLIN (AP) — Germa- Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu. both a German spy and a
ny’s foreign minister ex-
pressed cautious optimism (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) “representative” of the out-
Wednesday that Berlin and
Ankara may begin to slow- many are eligible to vote one of those is the compar- his supporters from doing lawed Kurdish rebel group
ly reel diplomatic relations in the referendum. Setting ison with Nazi Germany,” so. PKK — a claim Germany
back to normal, following the stage for Wednesday’s Gabriel said. “This does not fit democ- has dismissed as “absurd”
an escalation of tensions meeting, Cavusoglu re- Cavusoglu toned down his racy,” he said at a Ber- — and has not yet allowed
that culminated with Turk- peated Erdogan’s asser- rhetoric after Wednesday’s lin trade fair. “Germany any German consular ac-
ish President Recep Tayyip tion late Tuesday, saying meeting, saying only that it should not take sides.” cess to him.
Erdogan accusing Germa- Germany’s “practices are seemed Germany was al- Adding to bilateral ten- Yucel, a reporter for Die
ny of “Nazi practices.” similar to those of the Nazi lowing anti-Erdogan cam- sions, Turkey arrested Ger- Welt, was detained in Is-
Foreign Minister Sigmar era.” “There are lines that paigners to express their man newspaper reporter tanbul on Feb. 14 over his
Gabriel said talks at a Ber- should not be crossed, and opinions while preventing Deniz Yucel, whom Erdo- reports about a hacker at-
lin hotel over breakfast tack on the email account
with Turkish Foreign Minister of the country’s energy
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the first minister. Gabriel said he
face-to-face official meet- pushed for access to Yu-
ing since the diplomatic cel, who has both Turkish
crisis began last week, and German citizenship,
were “good, honest and and lobbied for his release.
friendly, but also hard and Even before the current
contentious.” rift, relations were strained
Over the past week, Ger- over Germany’s criticism
man municipalities have of Erdogan’s crackdown
canceled several events following a failed coup as
in which Turkish Cabinet a flow of Turkish diplomats
ministers had planned to and soldiers sought asylum
address rallies in Germany in Germany.
in support of a national ref- Germany has suggested
erendum on constitutional it may not extradite sus-
reform that would give Er- pects wanted by Turkey
dogan more powers. Of- in cases it considers politi-
ficials have cited issues cally motivated, which has
of overcrowding and fire prompted Erdogan to ac-
safety, among other things.
Some rallies have gone cuse Germany of shelter-
ahead, most recently with
Cavusoglu himself address- ing terrorists and having no
ing a crowd in Hamburg
late Tuesday night, though regard for other countries’
not at the venue initially security issues.q
planned.
Germany’s federal gov- NATO, US warn Kosovo against move to form army
ernment has expressed in-
creasing irritation over Turk- BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO and planned “NATO will have to draft law to parliament ask- in Serbia, from Russia’s MIG
ish officials using Germany the United States warned review its level of commit- ing approval to form a reg-
as a campaign platform, Wednesday they could ment, particularly in terms ular army. The move was jets in Serbia and from the
though it emphasized that scale back cooperation of capacity-building.” immediately denounced
it wasn’t involved in block- with Kosovo’s security ser- A U.S. embassy statement by Serbian leaders, who re- Russian military exercises in
ing the rallies and couldn’t vices if the government said “adoption of the cur- fuse to recognize Kosovo’s
intercede with the munici- goes ahead with plans to rent proposed law would independence and said Serbia.”
palities that did so. About transform its lightly-armed force us to re-evaluate they will use all political
1.4 million people of Turk- security force into an army our bilateral cooperation means available to prevent “I expect that NATO is
ish descent living in Ger- without the required consti- with and longstanding as- the formation of an army.
tutional changes. sistance to Kosovo’s secu- “There is no turning back. aware of such concrete
NATO Secretary General rity forces.” The move must The KSF (Kosovo Security
Jens Stoltenberg said he be carried out through an Force) will be transformed threats,” Thaci said at a
told Kosovo’s leaders by “inclusive and representa- into Kosovo’s army,” Thaci
telephone “that unilateral tive political process,” the told Radio Free Europe news conference later
steps such as these are un- statement added. Wednesday. “Western Bal-
helpful.” He warned that Kosovo President Hashim kans is endangered from Wednesday.
if Kosovo goes ahead as Thaci on Tuesday sent a the Russian military bases
Constitutional amend-
ments would require voting
approval from the ethnic
minorities at Kosovo’s par-
liament. Serbia in effect
holds a key say through
Kosovo Serbs on whether
the required constitutional
changes can happen.q
