Amid ongoing diplomatic tension with Turkey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said they do not want any conflicts from Turkey to be imported to Germany.
Merkel’s remarks came during an interview with Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.
Referring to the arrest of German citizens who are jailed in Turkey on baseless accusations, Merkel shared her concern about the repercussions of Turkey’s conflicts on Germany.
“What worries us is the fact that different groups from Turkey are maybe spying on or surveilling each other. We do not want that. We don’t want to import any conflicts from Turkey to Germany. We will make sure that all groups can live here peacefully and unharmed,” said Merkel.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry recently issued a travel warning for citizens visiting Germany, saying there has been anti-Turkish and racist rhetoric by German politicians during campaigns for the upcoming elections, also adding that Berlin has been supporting terrorist groups.
Responding to the statement Merkel said: “No journalists have been arrested or detained in our country [Germany]. Freedom of expression and the principle of the rule of law are respected here. We are proud of that.”
The foreign ministry also accused Germany of supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the faith-based Gülen movement, which is accused by Turkish authorities of masterminding a failed coup last year.
Ankara’s ties with Berlin deteriorated rapidly especially after the failed coup since Turkey accused Germany of harboring people linked to the Gülen movement who fled a government witch-hunt back home.
The ties became further strained after Turkey put several German citizens, including journalists and human rights defenders, in pretrial detention.