Don't give lessons in democracy, Turkey warns Germany

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the German government not to preach about democracy as he visited the northern city of Hamburg amid a row between the two countries.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

08 March, 2017

A crowd of supporters were seen waving Turkish flags as Cavusoglu spoke in Hamburg [Getty]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday told the German government not to preach about democracy as he visited the northern city of Hamburg amid a row between the two countries.

"Please, don't give us lessons in human rights and democracy," the minister said addressing Germany.

He spoke from the balcony of the Hamburg residence of the Turkish consul to a crowd of some 200 supporters, many waving Turkish flags.

The comments came amid a row over the stopping of events in Germany attended by Turkish officials to boost support among expat voters for a referendum in April on expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Local authorities in Germany have cancelled a string of such rallies, typically citing safety concerns.

"We want to say to our German friends, please, stop these bad practices," he said. "Germany should not intervene in our elections and our referendum."

Cavusoglu said he would meet with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel at a breakfast in Berlin on Wednesday and visit a tourism fair.

Police said about 250 opponents of Erdogan gathered near the consulate, some of them brandishing signs that read "Dictator Erdogan – Hayir," meaning "No" in Turkish.

Agencies contributed to this report