Turkey's Erdogan, Germany's Gauck Display Mutual Reproof

World | April 29, 2014, Tuesday // 16:41
Bulgaria: Turkey's Erdogan, Germany's Gauck Display Mutual Reproof German President Joachim Gauck (C), Turkish President Abdullah Gul (L) hug at a model of the Turkish-German University in Istanbul, Turkey, 29 April 2014. The university was officially inaugurated before. Gauck is on a four-day visit to Turkey which ends

The German President Joachim Gauck is "still behavings as a pastor" and not as a statesman, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Erdogan also accused Gauck of intervening into Turkey's internal affairs.

His comments followed remarks by Gauck who declared that he had "questions" on Turkish democracy while on a visit to Ankara, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Gauck also said that there were some recent developments in Turkey which "terrified" him, citing the decision of Ankara to block Twitter and YouTube and tightening control over the judiciary as an example.

He voiced his concern in the form of questions, referring to last weeks' events. “For example, should Twitter and the YouTube be banned? Why did the head of the Constitutional Court speak that critically [in an April 25 address directed at the government]?

Why intervene in the judiciary when you have so much power after an important election victory? Will this really strengthen democracy?”

President Abdullah Gul, for his part, reminded of Germany's "embarrassing" instances immigrants killed by extremists during his joint press conference with Gauck.

He also described such cases as "realities of European countries". Gul nevertheless told a journalist, who asked whether Gauck's questions were insulting, that no contry should claim it is perfect.

Gauck asserted that the openness and friendship of Turkey and Germany "should not be endangered".

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Tags: Erdogan, Gul, Gauck, turkey, Ankara, president, youtube, Twitter, judiciary

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