ISTANBUL (AP) – A top Turkish official took to social media on Monday to criticize comments on Turkey by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her opponent during a televised pre-election debate.
Ibrahim Kalin, the spokesman for the Turkish presidency, tweeted that Merkel and Martin Schulz were attacking Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a diversion from more urgent problems, such as a surge in discrimination.
Kalin said Europe’s attitude toward Turkey served to create an “other” and populism in German politics would fuel discrimination and racism.
In Sunday’s debate, Schulz said he would seek to end long-running but currently stalled talks on Turkey joining the European Union because of Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian policies.
Merkel, who has previously expressed doubts about Turkey ever joining the EU, refused to commit firmly to the same move, which would have to be agreed among EU members, but sharply criticized Erdogan’s rule. She said that “Turkey is departing from all democratic practices at breakneck speed.”