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Erdogan calls on Turks in Germany not to vote for Merkel, Schulz, Greens

18 August 2017 14:42 (UTC +04:00)

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turks in Germany not to vote for “enemies of Turkey,” claiming that the main reason for the recent crisis between Ankara and Berlin is the “race for votes” ahead of the Sept. 24 general elections in Germany, APA reported citing Hurriyet newspaper.

“Right now in Germany the [Social Democrats] SPD and the [Christian Democrats] CDU are saying, ‘We can get many votes if we batter Turkey.’ I am telling all my citizens in Germany to never support those parties. Do not support the CDU, the SPD or the Greens. They are all the enemies of Turkey,” Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

“Give necessary support to political parties that do not engage in enmity against Turkey. It is not important whether they are the first or the second party. In a way this is a struggle of honor for all my citizens living in Germany,” he added.

"I call on them not to vote for those parties who have been engaged in such aggressive, disrespectful attitudes against Turkey, and I invite them to teach a lesson to those political parties at the ballot box," Erdogan said.