Dündar: Germany bows to Erdogan
Turkish journalist Can Dündar has sharply criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's upcoming visit to Germany. Because of Erdogan's statements on the Islamist Hamas and Israel, the talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Berlin Chancellery should at least have been postponed, the former editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Cumhuriyet" told the German Press Agency.
He accuses the German government of playing by the Turkish president's rules. "Erdogan is the winner of this game, even before the visit takes place," Dündar told dpa. "Germany had to bow down to him, knowing that he is a Hamas supporter and calls Israel a terrorist state."
Scholz had already invited Erdogan to Berlin after his re-election as president in May. After the terrorist attack on Israel, which left around 1,200 dead, the Turkish president defended Hamas as a "liberation organization" and condemned Israel as a "terrorist state". For Germany, on the other hand, Israel's security is a matter of state and Hamas is a terrorist organization.
"A kind of double standard"
Although Scholz rejected Erdogan's accusations as "absurd", he nevertheless stood by his invitation. He pointed out that there were many important topics for discussion, including the revival of the refugee agreement between the EU and Turkey.
"As I understand it, they don't want to upset Erdogan because they need Erdogan," says Dündar. However, anyone who condemns Hamas must also draw consequences for dealing with those who support this Islamist organization. In Germany, demonstrations in support of Hamas are banned. "But at the same time, they invite a Hamas supporter and roll out the red carpet for him. That's weird, a kind of double standard."
Dündar accused the German government of sacrificing its ideals for current interests. "When you are dealing with an autocrat, you should be very clear about what you can and cannot accept," he said. Erdogan is an expert at exploiting crises and turning them into opportunities. He did this in the refugee crisis, in the Ukraine crisis and also in the dispute over Sweden and Finland joining Nato. "And now he wants to use this crisis in Israel to his advantage again. So if they let him do it, he will."
Dündar has been living in exile since 2016
Dündar has been charged several times in Turkey and sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison on charges of supporting terrorism, among other things. He has been living in exile in Germany since 2016. During Erdogan's state visit to Germany in 2018, there was a major discussion about Dündar's accreditation for the joint press conference held by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Erdogan. The Turkish journalist ultimately decided not to attend.
At the time, he had received a call from the German side in which he was told: "If you come to the press conference, Erdogan will not come and will hold his own press conference at the Hotel Adlon instead." At the time, he did not want the press conference to be canceled because of him, says Dündar today. This time he did not even apply for accreditation for the visit.
- Despite Can Dündar's criticism, the Federal Government still plans to meet with Turkish Head of State Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite his support for Hamas and labeling of Israel as a terrorist state.
- In light of Germany's stance against Hamas as a terrorist organization and its commitment to Israel's security, some consider the invite to Erdogan a display of a "double standard," as Dündar put it.
- Can Dündar, who has been living in exile in Germany since 2016 due to charges in Turkey, has accused the Federal Government of sacrificing its principles for political interests, allowing autocratic leaders like Erdogan to exploit crises for personal advantage.
Source: www.dpa.com
