Merkel’s delicate mission to Turkey
February 1, 2017
This is an official visit that comes with some heavy baggage. German Chancellor Angela Merkel can be guaranteed to receive international attention when she travels to Ankara on Thursday. It is her first visit to Turkey since the failed military coup on July 15 last year. Since then, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has transformed the country in autocratic style. Tens of thousands of opposition politicians, journalists, public prosecutors and ordinary citizens have been arrested. Critical media have been closed down; the Kurdish opposition alliance has been dissolved. The allegations are always the same: The parties involved took part in the failed coup. The Turkish government holds the supporters of the Gülen movement responsible for the attempted putsch. The Islamic-conservative AKP government routinely rejects any international criticism of its crackdowns. On the other hand it accuses Germany of lacking solidarity in the fight against alleged terrorism. In addition, Turkey has claimed that Germany has been providing a refuge to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party so that they can procure funds and recruit fight
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