Erdogan in Berlin: Protests outside, negotiations inside

German President greeted Erdogan on the red carpet in the presidential palace, while protests continue outside with the motto, “We don’t want the Turkish dictator”. There is also talk that Erdogan and Merkel may not hold a joint press statement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been in Berlin since yesterday afternoon, and this morning met with German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, who greeted Erdogan on the red carpet and a military ceremony in the Bellevue Palace despite protests from the public and the opposition.

Erdogan later went to the Prime Ministry building under strict security measures and met with Chancellor Merkel. A joint press conference is planned for 12:30 today, but it has been reported that Erdogan won’t enter the hall the journalists are in if Can Dundar attends the conference.

There are reports that Erdogan won’t be attending the press conference due to concerns about questions criticizing the Turkish state from other German journalists. Sources close to the Chancellor say the two leaders may issue a joint written statement instead of receiving journalists together.

MIT PREPARES, ERDOGAN SUBMITS

According to the AKP press, Erdogan submitted a list of 69 people with outstanding warrants in Turkey in the meeting with Merkel. This has been reported in German press as well, and the claim is that the list includes individuals opposing the Erdogan regime and persons who were involved in the July 15 coup attempt and who sought refuge in Germany afterwards.

The list prepared as part of the MIT’s illegal activity in Germany includes private information like home addresses and phone numbers of the persons Erdogan wants extradited. As the dirty negotiation with Erdogan continues in the Prime Ministry, there are protests outside.

The police have taken strict security precautions around the building. The mobile billboard the Reporters Without Borders had prepared (which said, “Mr. Erdogan lands in Berlin, journalists land in prison”) was removed from the vicinity of the government buildings and taken to the central train station. A group of journalists are holding signs stating the pressure journalists face in Turkey while the Amnesty International is organizing a protest now.

During the reception to be held for Erdogan in the Presidential Palace tonight, there will be a mass protest in the Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin led by the Erdogan Not Welcome platform. The march supported by immigrants from Turkey and Kurdistan, as well as organizations from various peoples, political parties and NGOs will begin at 16:00.

DICTATOR ERDOGAN

Meanwhile the limousine transporting Erdogan was met with a German citizen’s protest as it left the Presidential Palace. The German citizen stopped by the police yelled out, “Dictator Erdogan we don’t want you here!”