Erdogan Ends Germany's Visit with a Conciliatory Tone

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Imam Ali Arbas during the opening of the Central Mosque of Cologne (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Imam Ali Arbas during the opening of the Central Mosque of Cologne (AFP)
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Erdogan Ends Germany's Visit with a Conciliatory Tone

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Imam Ali Arbas during the opening of the Central Mosque of Cologne (AFP)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Imam Ali Arbas during the opening of the Central Mosque of Cologne (AFP)

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.



Russia Says US Using Taiwan to Stir Crisis in Asia

Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
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Russia Says US Using Taiwan to Stir Crisis in Asia

Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)

The United States is using Taiwan to provoke a serious crisis in Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told TASS news agency in remarks published on Sunday, reiterating Moscow's backing of China's stance on Taiwan.
"We see that Washington, in violation of the 'one China' principle that it recognises, is strengthening military-political contacts with Taipei under the slogan of maintaining the 'status quo', and increasing arms supplies," Rudenko told the state news agency.
"The goal of such obvious US interference in the region's affairs is to provoke the PRC (People's Republic of China) and generate a crisis in Asia to suit its own selfish interests."
The report did not cite any specific contacts that Rudenko was referring to.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim that Taiwan's government rejects. The US is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic recognition.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rudenko's remarks outside office hours.
In September, President Joe Biden approved $567 million in military support for Taiwan. Russia responded that it was standing alongside China on Asian issues, including criticism of the US drive to extend its influence and "deliberate attempts" to inflame the situation around Taiwan.
China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing shortly before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.
In May this year, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States, which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon sowing chaos across the world.