Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to wrap up his three-day visit to Germany in a conciliatory tone, saying the visit had been "successful."
Following an official dinner hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which was described by the country’s media as “scandal” because of Erdogan's speech which hinted that Germany was a supporter of terrorism, Erdogan seemed to choose to end his visit positively after two days of tension. He started his speech in one of Europe's largest mosques by thanking the German government for the warm welcome.
He said talks with the German president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were fruitful.
"In a critical period, we have made a fruitful, successful visit to Germany," he told guests at the opening of the Central Mosque.
In Cologne, a major center of the three million-strong Turkish community in Germany, a few hundred Erdogan supporters gathered behind security barriers waving flags and wearing scarves in Turkey's red-and-white national colors.
Erdogan's conciliatory tone didn't last long, as he repeated the accusations he made the night before, accusing Germany of harboring terrorists in reference to the PKK and supporters of Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan accused of plotting the 2016 failed coup. He also accused Germany of "racism" and recalled the case of soccer star Mesut Ozil.
"This racism has to end," said Erdogan.
Also, plans for a large open-air event at the mosque were canceled late on Friday by the city of Cologne, which cited security concerns. In a statement published Saturday on Facebook, DITIB, a Turkish-German Islamic umbrella association, expressed disappointment at the city’s decision, stating that it opposed the move and “could not comprehend” the reasoning behind it.
