Ankara: Turkey’s Foreign Ministry summoned Germany’s ambassador over the “wrongful” treatment of a senior Turkish MP at Cologne airport, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of disputes between Berlin and Ankara.
Deputy speaker of the Turkish parliament Ayse Nur Bahcekapili was stopped by police at the German airport on Monday and made to wait, she told state-run news agency Anadolu.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker claimed the officers tried to detain her and said it seemed she was suspected of entering the country illegally because of a temporary travel document she had, Anadolu reported.
The Hurriyet daily said police at the airport believed there was “a problem” with the document given after she had lost her passport.
German ambassador Martin Erdmann was summoned to the ministry in Ankara where the deputy undersecretary “shared our discomfort” at what happened, diplomatic sources said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at the German authorities over the incident.
“They take her and make her wait for hours. You take a terrorist in and make them welcome in your country,” he said in a speech in Ankara.
“But you make this country’s deputy speaker and her delegation wait for hours. Now, shouldn’t we do the same?”
There have been a series of disputes between the two countries over Turkey’s mass firings and arrests since the July 15 failed coup aimed at overthrowing Erdogan.
While Berlin has criticised Turkey and urged it to act within the rule of law, Ankara has accused Germany of harbouring Kurdish militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey has also accused Germany of failing to respond to its requests to extradite thousands of suspected PKK members as well as coup plotters.
