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Erdogan's first Soma-related comments were criticized

as callous

BILATERAL RELATIONS

Erdogan visit polarizes Germany's Turks

German politicians of all stripes have spoken out against Recep Tayyip Erdogan's

upcoming visit to Cologne. Germany's large Turkish minority is split on whether to

embrace him or take to the streets in protest.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is undaunted: Despite more than 300 dead in the Soma mine accident and

several unfortunate public appearances, Turkey's prime minister plans to board a plane to Germany in

just a few days for an unofficial campaign appearance before thousands of enthusiastic, flag-waving

expatriates.

The notion is almost unbearable for many German politicians. Rarely have so many representatives of

so many different parties commented on the visit of a foreign leader - and rarely has there been so

much agreement.

Erdogan cannot be allowed to move his election campaign battles to Germany, CSU Secretary General

Andreas Scheuer told Spiegel Online. Guntram Schneider, integration minister in the state of North

Rhine-Westphalia, took an even more drastic view in the Westdeutsche Allgemeine newspaper, calling

Erdogan's planned appearance a "misuse of the right to hospitality" in Germany.

Fishing for votes

Erdogan's AKP party, on the other hand, maintains that the event on Saturday (24.05.2014) in

Cologne is no election campaign stop, but a visit to honor the 10th anniversary of the Union of

European Turkish Democrats (UETD).

But many see a different reason for the event in

Cologne's largest venue with the capacity to seat

almost 20,000: Turkey holds presidential

elections in August. Erdogan has yet to officially

announce his candidacy, but many expect he

will in fact toss his hat in the ring.

And this time, courting Turkish nationals that

live abroad is well worth the prime minister's

efforts: for the first time, they will be allowed to

TOP STORIES / GERMANY

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German SPD parliamentarian Lale

Akgün say s Erdogan is looking for

support

Gökay Sofuoglu v iews the v isit as a disruption to

Turkish unity in Germany

vote with mail-in ballots without having to

travel to Turkey.

About 1.5 million Turks in Germany are eligible to vote - votes Erdogan urgently needs if he wants to

be president. He needs about five percent more votes than his party garnered in municipal elections in

March.

Skilled agitator

This isn't the first time a planned appearance by the Turkish prime minister in Germany made waves.

There was also quite some criticism ahead of his 2008 visit. Many German politicians were indignant

when Erdogan called the "assimilation" of migrants a "crime against humanity." But he was highly

praised at home and among the expatriate community in Germany for his comments.

Erdogan uses attention-grabbing mega appearances and provocative theories to make it clear that he

sees himself not only as head of government for the Turks in his country but as a representative for

the interests of Turks living in Germany.

In order to organize Turkish expatriates in Germany, the

government in Ankara created the Agency for Expatriate Turks

(YTB). The staff was trained to prepare the Turkish diaspora for

alleged "suppression" abroad - that's how seriously the prime

minister takes Turkish expatriates.

Social Democrat Lale Akgün, herself of Turkish ancestry, also

believes Erdogan's appearance is of a domestic bent.

"He needs some good press after his relatively poor showing in

Turkey," she told WDR, a German public broadcaster headquartered

in Cologne. "His supporters in Germany - the Union of European

Turkish Democrats - will make sure he receives a nice welcome and is celebrated grandly. These

images aren't important for Germany - these images are important for Turkey," she said.

Fans vs. critics

But just like back home, the Turkish prime minister is also controversial in Germany. The Alevi

community, a minority group in Turkey critical of Erdogan and his governing AKP party, has called

for a demonstration in Cologne in opposition to Erdogan's visit. Under the motto of "We say no to

Erdogan," supporters of the religious and cultural minority plan to protest the visit in Cologne's city

center. Erdogan, they say, is interfering with domestic German affairs and provoking those in

Germany with Turkish origins.

For many, the polarization of German Turks is

a source of concern. They worry that the

controversial prime minister, with his

provocative words, could transport domestic

rifts into Germany - thereby impeding the daily

life and successful integration of Turks living in

Germany. Gökay Sofuoglu, the new head of the

"Turkish Community in Germany"

organization, views things similarly.

"Such a speech causes a lot of difficulties for us,

of course, because we then turn away from our

real issues and suddenly have to deal with Turkish political disputes," he told DW.

A futile boycott?

Julia Klöckner is the deputy chair of Germany's Christian Democratic Union and has called for Turks

to boycott the Saturday visit.

"I only wish that as many Turks who live here as possible show, through their absence, that they don't

agree with his current actions in Turkey," she told the German weekly "Welt am Sonntag."

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Date 20.05.2014

Author Jeanette Seiffert / db, cd

Editor Gregg Benzow

Keywords Erdogan, Germany, Turkish community, Alevi, protests, Özdemir

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Permalink http://dw.de/p/1C2mS

Germany urges restraint

ahead of Erdogan's

planned speech in Cologne

Opinion: The divider from

Turkey 20.05.2014

Criticism surrounding the Turkish

Erdogan in Germany:

cherished and controversial

30.03.2014

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B ut her appeals, says German Green Party politician Cem Özdemir, will have little effect.

"The people who are against him are going to be against him anyway," he told German public radio

broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. "And those who idolize him will continue to be his fans, and will now,

more than ever, probably make a pilgrimage there."

The Green politician added that he blames Germany's conservative politicians for the conflict

surrounding Erdogan's visit. Their refusal to change citizenship laws have contributed to Turks not

becoming German, he says, making them feel like foreigners. "Now they're turning to Ankara," he

said.

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In his public appearances, Prime Minister Erdogan is losing the self-control that his office demands. The protests

against him are getting louder - and yet he will still be elected president, says DW's Baha Güngör. (15.05.2014)

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Erdogan and his party face massive criticism. But remains in firm control of Turkey. (18.05.2014)

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now, with his presidential candidacy in the picture, he appears to have slightly changed course. (18.05.2014)

Germany urges restraint ahead of Erdogan's planned speech in Cologne

The German government has urged Turkey’s prime minister to exercise restraint when he visits the country on

the weekend. This followed calls from some German politicians for Recep Tayyip Erdogan to cancel his visit.

(19.05.2014)

5/21/2014 Erdogan visit polarizes Germany's Turks | Germany | DW.DE | 20.05.2014

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19.05.2014

The German government has urged

Turkey’s prime minister to

exercise restraint when he visits

the country on the weekend. This

followed calls from some German

politicians for Recep Tayyip

Erdogan to cancel his visit.

prime minister's planned

appearance in Germany has been

hefty - and rightly so. The event

will be damaging to integration and

only in Erdogan's interest, writes

DW's Christoph Strack.

Gezi Park protests, corruption

allegations, YouTube censorship:

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's

image in Germany has been

tarnished by several scandals. But

German-Turks may still be

important to him this summer.

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