Turkey regrets 'silence' in Germany post mosque attacks

BERLIN

Turkey’s top diplomat in Berlin has criticized the German authorities for failing to show strong solidarity with the Turkish community following a series of attacks on mosques, associations and shops.

Speaking at a meeting held at the Turkish Embassy in Berlin on Monday evening, Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydin said: “It is with astonishment and concern that we are witnessing the silence of those who have long talked about democracy, rule of law and human rights.”

Aydin urged German authorities to step up security of Turkish community mosques and organizations, thoroughly investigate attacks and bring assailants to justice.

The Interior Ministry recorded at least 37 attacks in the first three months of the year, which targeted Turkish mosques, associations and shops in various cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Aachen.

The PYD/PKK terrorist group and far-left organizations have claimed responsibility for most of these attacks, and threatened last week to carry out more violence in Germany in protest against Turkey’s counter-terrorism operation in northwestern Syria.

The PKK terror group has been banned in Germany since 1993, but it remains active, with nearly 14,000 followers in the country.

Ankara has long criticized Berlin for not taking serious measures against the PKK terror group, and its Syrian branch PYD, which uses Germany as a platform for its fund-raising, recruitment, and propaganda activities.

Germany has a 3 million-strong Turkish community, many of whom are second and third-generation German-born citizens whose Turkish grandparents moved to the country during the 1960s.