An EU-wide ban on Turkish politicians’ campaigning in the bloc has been suggested by Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern.
Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci still plans to visit Turkish voters in Germany.
Kern told the German newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” that Europe should protect its individual member nations from President Erdogan’s
outspoken drive to win over expatriate Turks ahead of April’s Turkish referendum on boosting his constitutional powers.
The latest strains in EU-Turkish relations center on Ankara’s arrest of German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel
and rejections on security grounds by the German towns of Guggenau, and Frechen near Cologne, of gatherings at which visiting
Turkish ministers were to have made campaign appearances.
Austria’s chancellor said an EU-wide ban on Turkish politicians’ campaigning inside Europe would ease Turkish pressure on individual
EU nations such as Germany.
“A joint approach by the EU to prevent such campaign appearances would be sensible,”
Kern said.
( Gagrule )