Turkey and Germany to discuss brewing tensions
Ties have soured between the two countries after local authorities cancelled a Turkish community rally which Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was scheduled to address.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was scheduled to address a Turkish community rally in Germany.
Turkey's foreign minister will meet with his German counterpart next week to discuss tensions between the two countries.
The move comes after the cancellation of a Turkish community rally in Germany which Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was supposed to address.
After the cancellation by German authorities, Turkey summoned Germany's ambassador in Ankara wanting to know why authorities had cancelled the event.
The meeting was part of Ankara's effort to rally support among Germany's estimated 1.5 million Turkish citizens for an April referendum on expanding the powers of the Turkish presidency.
Turkey says the decision violates basic rights.
But Germany claims that the cancelled meeting was a local government decision and not a federal one.
"Germany's decision to block Turkish ministers from speaking in Germany is against democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, while it teaches democracy lessons and intervenes in the domestic affairs of other countries," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
He called the cancellation "a clear sign of double standards" after saying, "some terrorists from the Qandil Mountains had been given the opportunity to make an address in Germany."
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