In escalation, German foreign minister announces steps against Turkey

Record ID: 903468

  • Title: In escalation, German foreign minister announces steps against Turkey
  • Date: 20th July 2017
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 20, 2017) (REUTERS) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER SIGMAR GABRIEL AND SOCIAL DEMOCRAT (SPD) CANDIDATE FOR CHANCELLOR MARTIN SCHULZ COMING OUT OF MEETING AND WALKING TO MICROPHONES PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SIGMAR GABRIEL, SAYING: "You may assume that what I am about to tell you was agreed both with Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Schulz." GABRIEL SEEN IN CAMERA VIEWFINDER SIDE SHOT OF GABRIEL (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SIGMAR GABRIEL, SAYING: "The most absurd things are possible: you have been travelling to Turkey for years where you have acquaintances and friends whom you have been visiting for years, Turkish citizens who are then possibly being suspected by Turkish secret services of being close to the Gulen movement. All of a sudden you're a terror supporter. You visit a hotel that belongs to such a person or you visit a cultural event which is associated with it. In other words, completely innocent German citizens can become associated. Hence this increased (travel) advisory to all citizens of our country."
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 11:20
  • Keywords: arrest Gabriel activists human rights diplomatic Turkey detention Germany row
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016QIRV47
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel announced on Thursday (July 20) a range of steps against Turkey in response to the detention of a German human rights activist, signalling a more confrontational stance to the NATO ally after an escalation in tensions.
    Sigmar Gabriel said Germany would talk to EU partners about Turkey's aspirations to join the bloc and made clear Berlin could no longer guarantee German corporate investment in Turkey.
    He also said he could not envisage talks on expanding the customs union to Turkey and he issued new travel advice which warned of risks in Turkey for Germans.
    He said the new steps had been agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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