Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the German government on Saturday for criticizing his appeal to ethnic Turks living in Germany not to vote for the county’s two ruling parties in the upcoming September elections. Addressing a crowd of supporters in the southwestern province of Denizli, Erdogan had particularly harsh words for German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel.
Read more: Ankara mayor slams German Green party leader for ‘treachery’ “He knows no limits! Who are you to talk to the president of Turkey? Know your limits. He is trying to teach us a lesson… How long have you been in politics? How old are you?” Erdogan said.
‘Unprecedented act of interference’
On Friday, Gabriel had condemned Erdogan’s comments as an “unprecedented act of interference” in Germany’s sovereignty. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also noted that no one would be allowed to “meddle” in Germany’s electoral process.
Erdogan on Saturday repeated his call for Turks eligible to vote in the German elections not to cast their ballots for Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), their coalition partner and Gabriel’s party the Social Democrats (SPD) or the Green party.
“Teach them a lesson in the German elections,” he said. “They are waging a campaign against Turkey. Vote for those who don’t have enmity towards Turkey.”
Full Article: Turkey hits back at Germany over election ′interference′ criticism | News | DW | 19.08.2017.