Turkey warns Germany not to accept soldiers' asylum claims - POLITICO
Ankara has called on Berlin to deny asylum to members of the Turkish military in the wake of the country’s failed July coup, German media reported Monday. German authorities “are absolutely not allowed to accept these asylum requests,” Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said in a video published by Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu.
The comments came after German media reported over the weekend that at least 40 Turkish NATO soldiers, most high-ranking, had applied for asylum in Germany. The interior and migration ministries said the requests would be treated according to regular processes.
“For a country such as Germany, which has strong cultural, social and political ties with Turkey, it would be deeply unacceptable to grant protection,” Işık said, adding that he expected Germany to reject all asylum claims made by Turkish soldiers on the grounds they are suspected of involvement in the attempted coup.
Earlier this month, Germany announced it would stop cooperating with Turkish judicial authorities on criminal matters over concerns the country is misusing the process for political means in the wake of the coup.
Turkey last week threatened to back out of its migration deal with the European Union after Greece refused to extradite soldiers on Ankara’s request.