Turkish foreign minister vows to address rally in Germany
Mevlut Cavusoglu is due to attend a rally of Turkish voters in Hamburg on Tuesday evening.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Istanbul on March 7, 2017.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu vowed to address the Turkish community in the northern German port city of Hamburg on Tuesday despite local authorities' closure of the venue where he is due to speak.
"Tonight, we will gather with our citizens in Hamburg. No one can block us from gathering with our citizens, this ban should be lifted,'' he said in Istanbul.
Diplomatic tensions have risen between Turkey and Germany after German authorities withdrew permission for several rallies in connection with the constitutional referendum due on April 16.
He said freedom of assembly is a democratic right and "European standards and values allow this".
There are nearly four million people of Turkish origin living in Germany, of which about 1.5 million are Turkish citizens eligible to vote in the April referendum. Turkish citizens in Germany can cast their votes at consulates between March 27 and April 9.
TRT World's Francis Collings shares the latest from Hamburg.
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