A diplomatic row has broken out between Ankara and Berlin over references to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a German satirical TV show which is likely to put a strain on the German-brokered migrant deal with Turkey.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel brokered the deal under which “irregular migrants” — those refused asylum — would be returned from Greece to Turkey. However, critics of the deal say that Turkey does not provide proper facilities for refugees and that Erdogan’s government is cracking down on dissidents and independent media — which flies in the face of EU policies.
The German ambassador to Ankara, Martin Erdmann, was summoned by Erdogan’s government, following the broadcast of the song ” Erdowi, Erdowo, Erdogan” on ‘Extra 3’, the satirical program on NDR television.
The lyrics include references to Erdogan, saying: “He lives the high life, the boss from Bosporus” and “A journalist who wrote anything that Erdogan does not like, is already in jail tomorrow.”
“The contribution lowers our president. This is unacceptable,” a spokesman for the Turkish Government told Spiegel Online.