Punish protesters who attacked Turkey’s embassy in Berlin, Erdogan tells Merkel

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul on Friday that Ankara expects German authorities to punish the protesters who set fire to a vehicle belonging to the Turkish embassy in Berlin last October. 

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria on October 9 with the stated aim of establishing a “safe zone” there for millions of Syrian refugees who had fled to Turkey since 2011.  

The incursion was protested by Kurds around the world who accused Ankara of launching a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish population of northern Syria. Turkey denied the claims.  

Thousands of Kurds gathered in German cities following the Turkish incursion, demanding a halt to the operation. 

Turkey said the protesters are “supporters of the terrorist organization,” referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), its alleged branch in Syria, the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD), and the PYD’s military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which forms the backbone of the SDF.  

One group of protesters set fire to a vehicle belonging to Turkey’s Berlin embassy in the early hours of October 11, 2019, according to Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA).  

The embassy called on the German government to increase security measures and conduct a full investigation into the incident to find and punish the perpetrators. 

Erdogan made a similar call when meeting with Merkel in Istanbul on Friday. 

He said his country wants the 3.5 million Turks who live in Germany to feel safe and that Berlin should take steps to prevent them being attacked, referring to clashes between Kurdish and Turkish protesters in October.    

“Taking the Operation Peace Spring as an excuse in the past few months, the supporters of the terrorist organization carried out attacks against Turks in Germany,” Erdogan said during a press conference with Merkel after both leaders attended the opening ceremony of a Turkish-German university’s new campus.  

“The service vehicle of our embassy was set on fire by the members of the organization. We condemn and curse these attacks once again.  It is not possible to understand that these actions are ignored and that they are shown as a democratic right. We especially expect that Germany will punish those responsible and not tolerate such incidents,” Erdogan added.

No withdrawal

The Turkish incursion led to the withdrawal of the SDF from the Syria-Turkey border. They were replaced by Russian military police and Syrian regime forces, according to Russian and Kurdish officials. 

However, Turkish officials have said multiple times that they are not convinced that Kurdish forces have withdrawn. 

Erdogan said during the press conference that the “PYD/YPG terror organization have not been removed from these areas. Our anti-terror fight continues there”.

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the SDF, told al-Monitor on Thursday their areas no longer share a border with Turkey.

“[W]e no longer have any point of contact with the Turkish forces. The regime forces are currently deployed along the length of the Turkish border in northeastern Syria – that is to say, they replaced our forces there,” he said.  

“Turkey would constantly cite our presence along its border as a threat to its national security. That argument is now dead. They can no longer accuse us of seeking to dismember Syria, of seeking to break away from Syria,” he added. 

• SHARE ON
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp
• Share on Telegram
• Share on Viber
• Share on Messenger