EU for stable economic development in Turkey: Germany

Germany condemns far-right demo in eastern city after fatal dispute

Germany will not tolerate "vigilante justice", Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said on Monday, after hundreds of far-right supporters protested in the eastern city of Chemnitz against the death of a man involved in a multi-ethnic dispute.Police said around 800 demonstrators had gathered in Chemnitz on Sunday, hours after a 35-year-old man died following a dispute between several people of "different nationalities". Some of the protesters had thrown bottles at police officers.The demonstration followed calls on social media by far-right groups for protests over the man's death. Two other men were injured in the incident and police have detained two suspects, aged 22 and 23.An amateur video posted on social media and aired by national broadcasters showed skinheads chasing a young Arab-looking man at a major intersection in the city. Other clips showed hundreds of demonstrators shouting "We are the people!" - a slogan used by far-right supporters.A police spokeswoman could not comment on the nationalities of those involved or on media reports that the protesters were far-right supporters who had hounded migrants. The cause of the man's death was also not immediately clear.Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert condemned Sunday's impromptu demonstration."We don't tolerate such unlawful assemblies and the hounding of people who look different or have different origins and attempts to spread hatred on the streets," he told a regular news briefing."That has no place in our cities and we, as the German government, condemn it in the strongest terms," he said. "Our basic message for Chemnitz and beyond is that there is no place in Germany for vigilante justice, for groups that want to spread hatred on the streets, for intolerance and for extremism."Far-rightMerkel's decision in 2015 to let in about a million migrants, many fleeing wars in the Middle East, has fueled support for far-right groups such as PEGIDA and the Alternative for Germany (AfD), now the main opposition party in parliament.Tweeting about Sunday's incident, AfD politician Markus Frohnmaier said: "If the state is no longer to protect citizens then people take to the streets and protect themselves. It's as simple as that!"Martina Renner, a lawmaker for the radical Left party, accused the far-right of trying to exploit a murder for its own political ends. "A terrible murder, the background to which is still unclear, is being instrumentalised in the most repugnant way for racist riots in Chemnitz," she tweeted.The violence in Chemnitz is likely to put further pressure on Merkel's conservatives, who last week faced accusations of ignoring the rise of far-right groups in the eastern state of Saxony, where Chemnitz lies.Police in Chemnitz are preparing for further demonstrations. They were expected to issue a further statement about Sunday's incident later on Monday. Germany's public debt could fall below EU ceiling this yearGerman foreign minister to visit Turkey next monthGerman military turns to under 18s to boost recruitment

Germany slams US President Trump’s sanctions policy

Germany’s foreign minister on Monday heavily criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for abruptly and unilaterally imposing sanctions against trade partners like Turkey, China and Russia.Speaking at the annual Ambassadors' Conference in Berlin, Heiko Maas vowed to take measures to protect European firms from such unilateral sanctions.“Washington’s sanctions policy forces us Europeans to formulate a response. Because it is affecting us, Germany and Europe, when the U.S. abruptly and unilaterally imposing often unspecified sanctions against Russia, China, Turkey and maybe in the future against our other important trading partners," he stressed.Maas argued that the European Union member states should take joint steps against the U.S. dominance in global finance, and proposed a European alternative to the U.S.-dominated SWIFT payment system.“We have to further strengthen the autonomy and sovereignty of Europe in the fields of trade, economy and finance policies,” he stressed.“It’s not going to be easy but we have already started working on it. We are working on proposals to establish independent payment channels and creating a European Monetary Fund,” he added.Canada appeals for German backing amid Saudi rights rowIran applies to UN court against US sanctionsGermany says Turkey’s stability important for EuropeMerkel rejects EU proposal for sharper emissions cuts targets

Canada appeals for German backing amid Saudi rights row

The foreign minister of Canada, which is embroiled in a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia, called for German support on Monday in Ottawa's campaign to promote human rights around the world.The German government, trying to repair its own strained relationship with Riyadh, has been silent on the spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia, drawing criticism from some politicians and rights groups.Chrystia Freeland, speaking at an annual gathering of German ambassadors in Berlin, did not specifically mention Saudi Arabia in her address. However, she touched indirectly on the row which was triggered by her tweet demanding the release of jailed human rights activists in the kingdom.In response, Riyadh has frozen new trade with Canada, expelled the Canadian ambassador and ended state-backed educational and medical programmes in Canada.Freeland said Canada would always stand up for human rights "even when we are told to mind our own business ... and even when speaking up brings consequences".She added: "We count on and hope for Germany's support."Ties between Berlin and Riyadh have been strained since former foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel denounced "adventurism" in the Middle East in November of last year, comments that were seen as criticism of Riyadh's actions in the region.Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Berlin and, since early 2018, has excluded German healthcare companies from public tenders.Riyadh is at loggerheads with many European countries which have criticised its intervention in Yemen's civil war and support dialogue with its arch-enemy Iran.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed at the conference Europe and Canada's shared interest in preserving a "rules-based international order" in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's unilateralism."It hits Europe and Germany when the United States, suddenly and without consulting, introduces random sanctions against Russia, China, Turkey and in the future perhaps more of our important trading partners," he said.Europe needed to become more autonomous in order to defend its commercial and trade interests, Maas said. "It won't be easy," he added.

Racism in Germany ‘must be taken seriously,’ says Merkel after Özil debate

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that poor treatment of migrants in Germany should be discussed, and touched on the debate sparked by German-Turkish footballer Mesut Özil with his decision to quit Germany’s national team due to the discrimination and racist propaganda he faced recently.“I have a very clear stance on the matter. There may be differing views as to whether the photograph that was taken was right or wrong,” Merkel said.Since May, Özil was criticized by German politicians and media outlets for meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and taking a photograph with him in London ahead of elections in Turkey.Özil defended his meeting, and stressed that a picture with the Turkish president was not about politics, but respect to his family’s country. “It was about me respecting the highest office of my family’s country. I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Özil had said in a social media post.“Be it Özil or someone else,” if migrants in Germany believe that they are treated poorly in German society, this “must be taken seriously and discussed,” Merkel stated.Özil also accused far-right politicians and media for using his picture with Erdoğan “as an opportunity to express their previously hidden racist tendencies” ahead of June's football World Cup.Video: Germany haunted by racist historyGermany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed Merkel’s sentiments, and called on all citizens to stand up against racism and discrimination on Wednesday.“There are no first and second class citizens. A permanent suspicion of migrants, no matter how long they’ve lived in Germany, isn’t only hurtful for the individual. It’s a cause of shame for our country,” he said to a small group of Turkish and German citizens who were invited to the presidential palace to voice their views on migration, integration, discrimination and racism in everyday life.Some 19.3 million people out of 81.7 million in Germany are immigrants or their descendants, according to the federal statistics office.People of Turkish origin continue to be the largest immigrant group in Germany with an estimated population of 2.8 million, followed by 2.1 million Poles and 1.4 million Russians.Germany says Turkey’s stability important for Europe

Germany says Turkey’s stability important for Europe

Germany’s economy minister voiced support on Sunday for Turkey amid market worries after U.S. President Donald Trump slammed sanctions and raised tariffs on Turkey.Responding to questions by citizens during an open house event of his ministry, Peter Altmaier underlined Turkey’s importance for Germany and for the European Union.“We can have no interest in the destabilization of a country like Turkey with 80 million population, which also hosts around 4 million refugees,” he said.Political tensions between Ankara and Washington had sparked worries in markets early this month, after Trump threatened to use economic pressure over the prosecution of an American pastor who faces terrorism-related charges in Turkey.The Turkish lira declined but staged a recovery recently, after positive messages from European capitals and Qatar’s decision to invest $15 billion in Turkey. Altmaier did not totally rule out possibility of assistance to Turkey, if Ankara would ask for support from its European partners.But he stressed that the situation has not come to such a point.“I do not think that at the moment we are in a situation where we have to take concrete decisions on financial or economic assistance,” he said.Altmaier, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, acknowledged political differences between Berlin and Ankara on a number of issues, but also expressed his hope for overcoming them through dialogue.Political relations between Turkey and Germany suffered several setbacks in the past two years, but both sides took steps in the recent months towards normalization of ties.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to pay an official visit to Berlin on Sept. 28-29.Germany is home to more than 3 million people with Turkish roots. Many of them are second or third-generations of Turkish families who migrated to Germany in the 1960s.EU heavyweight Germany is Turkey’s main economic and trade partner, and more than 7,500 German companies are active in the country. In 2017, the bilateral trade volume reached €37.6 billion ($43.6 billion).

German CEO sees rebound in Turkish tourism sector

The attractiveness of Turkey rebounded especially for European tourists in 2018, the CEO of Turkish-German carrier SunExpress says."We clearly see that there is a big rebound in Turkish tourism and the attractiveness of Turkey, especially in the eyes of European tourists is clearly coming up and very strong again," Jens Bischof told Anadolu Agency.He added that the number of passengers the company carried to [the southern holiday resort city of] Antalya rose 30-35 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2018."So 2017 was the record year [for SunExpress] and 2018 is going even better," he said. "And also if we look into the early stages of tourism in 2019, so my prospects are very positive for the upcoming period."Recalling that 2016/2017 was a challenging year for the Turkish tourism sector, Bischof said the company had full confidence in not only the development but also in the recovery of the sector."Despite all the uncertainties and challenges, 2017 was a record breakout year for SunExpress," he noted.The company carried 8.8 million passengers last year, the majority of whom traveled to Turkey's touristic destinations, Bischof said.He added that the company has a great confidence in the market therefore had already ordered 50 aircraft in 2014."We will place majority of these aircraft here in the country," he said.Commending Turkey's "extremely well developed" infrastructure, Bischof said business opportunities in the country were vast and rich."I like the business mentality and business environment that I found here. One major contributing factor is that you find a very young population in Turkey, the labor force is very well educated," he said.Bischof said investors can be successful when they understand the market well."And also have to live little bit with the volatility and the cycles which we experienced in the market. But if you happen to do so, it can be very successful and certainly very exciting to work in Turkey," he noted.Bischof recommended that investors who are interested in Turkey not place their investment decision in the hands of desktop research.“Come here, look at this country, environment, infrastructure and create your own perspective. Because I believe if you do so you will gain trust to place investments in Turkey,” he said.Antalya-based SunExpress was founded as a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa in 1989. The carrier flies to around 80 destinations in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa.In terms of capacity, SunExpress is the biggest leisure carrier serving touristic parts of Turkey and Anatolia, Bischof stated.He said that the airline was named 5th best leisure airline in the world and best leisure airline in Turkey by Skytrax in 2018.