“Be with those who are benevolent towards Turkey. Regardless of whether they are small, give them your voice. Then they will acquire significance, “the Turkish president said on Sunday in his speech to his supporters in Istanbul. “In my opinion, those who attack Turkey in this way deserve a slap in the election,” Erdogan said. His previous statements irritated the German government, prompting a sharp response from Berlin.
“We do not tolerate any interference,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel, “quoted her spokeswoman Steffen Zaiber. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel saw in him “an act of exceptional interference in the sovereignty of the country.”