Ankara, March 30: Turkey has asked Germany to take serious actions to counter a recent rise in the number of attacks aimed at Turkish and other immigrant workers in the country.
“We expect German authorities to apprehend the perpetrators in the shortest possible time and to bring them to justice… We believe they will take the necessary measures to prevent the repetition of such attacks,” a Tuesday statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The statement went on to bring attention to the 10 arson attacks occurring within the past 10 days “within some districts of Berlin such as Neukolln which are heavily populated by Turkish and other immigrants,” as well as to some prejudiced attitudes of German politicians, AFP reported.
Recently Turkish homes, mosques, and associations located across Germany have witnessed attacks thought to be brought on by xenophobic, islamophobic, and racist groups.
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, who made a discriminating remark last month saying “Islam does not belong in Germany,” has recently placed emphasis on the security cooperation of Islamic groups during the Germany-Islam conference.
Friedrich’s remark triggered serious protests by the influential Turkish community in Germany and deepened tensions in the relations between Berlin and major Islamic groups in the country.
Germany is currently home to some two-point-five million Turks.
———Agencies