Foreign policy experts angry about Erdogan's trip
The growing anger over the Wolf Salute of a Turkish national player at the UEFA European Football Championship between Turkey and the Netherlands in Berlin has led to a serious diplomatic rift between Ankara and Berlin. The presence of President Erdogan at the Viertelfinal match is causing displeasure among foreign policy makers from the SPD and the Union.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the German Bundestag, Michael Roth, criticized the planned visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Viertelfinal match of the UEFA European Championship against the Netherlands in Berlin. "The UEFA European Championship is a festival of peace among nations and has been a great success so far," said the SPD politician to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "Unfortunately, individual nationalistic incidents in fan blocks and most recently by the Turkish national team have tarnished the event."
Politicians should instead take action and promote understanding among nations, added Roth. "President Erdogan is doing the exact opposite by fueling nationalistic fires. First, he summoned the German ambassador and now he is traveling to the game." Erdogan wants to divide the Turkish community in Germany because he is reliant on their support in elections and rejects their integration in Germany.
"Avoiding propaganda for Turkish nationalism"
The foreign policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU Bundestag faction, Jürgen Hardt, stated regarding Merih Demiral's Wolf Salute during the match against Austria: "German criticism of the foolish gesture of a Turkish national player is not a good reason for Erdogan's appearance in Germany. Propaganda for Turkish nationalism should be avoided." The so-called Wolf Salute stands for exclusion, dictatorship, and unfreedom. It has not lost anything on the football field.
The CDU politician continued: "If Erdogan is concerned about human rights in Germany, then he should turn to the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights is looking forward to attention from Ankara, as several judgments against unjustified detentions of opposition members in Turkey by the Turkish government have not been implemented yet. Turkey would be obligated to do so according to the statutes."
In light of the controversy surrounding the Wolf Salute by a Turkish national player during the UEFA European Football Championship, discussions about Turkish nationalism have became increasingly prominent in European politics. Despite the criticism, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, has expressed his intent to attend the European Football Championship 2024 in Turkey, further fueling debates about the role of nationalism in sports and politics.
