Erdogan urges Germany to list Gulen group as terrorist

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Europe

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On the eve of a visit to Germany on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged the country to designate the Fethullah Gulen movement, which Turkey blames for a 2016 coup attempt, as a terrorist organization.

His call, in an article published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper, brought into focus the policy gulf between the NATO allies as Erdogan arrived, seeking to repair strained political and commercial ties.

Germany has so far said it needs more proof linking the network of supporters of the US-based cleric, which Turkey labels the Gulenist Terrorist Organization (FETO), to the failed attempt to overthrow the Turkish government.

US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, US, July 29, 2016. /Reuters Photo via Xinhua

Germany should "recognize FETO is responsible for the attempted putsch, just as Britain did," Erdogan wrote in an article, published on Wednesday on the newspaper's website.

Germany's refusal to extradite military officers that Turkey accuses of participating in the coup attempt after they claimed asylum, has enraged Ankara. Berlin is concerned about the fate of tens of thousands of people imprisoned in the subsequent crackdown which included dozens of German citizens.

Erdogan has said he would use the visit to improve relations.

"We are pursuing the goal of increasing our trade and economic ties," he wrote. "For the sake of prosperity and the future of both our countries, let us increase our mutual interests and reduce our problems."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L, Front) with his wife Emine arrive at the Tegel airport in Berlin, Germany, September 27, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Erdogan's state visit to Germany, during which he will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel three times, comes with Turkey's economy in crisis.

After years of breakneck growth, Turkey has seen its heavy foreign debt load increased by the lira's 40 percent slide this year – a sell-off that intensified after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions in retaliation for the detention of an American pastor.

Merkel, whose country is home to a three-million-strong Turkish community, has repeatedly stressed the importance of good relations with Ankara, a partner she relies on to help stem the flow of migrants arriving on European shores.

The gradual rapprochement began after German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel was freed in February, and journalist Mesale Tolu was also allowed to return to Germany last month. Both still face terror-related charges in Turkey.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters