March 06, 2017•Update: March 06, 2017
ANKARA
Turkey's presidential spokesman welcomed the remarks of the leader of the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who backed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the dispute over the ban of rallies in Germany.
"Mr. Devlet Bahceli has once again shown a noble and national stance to the whole world with this statement. Congratulations and thank you," Ibrahim Kalin said in a tweet posted on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, Bahceli said during an interview with a Turkish TV channel that he would personally accompany Erdogan for a potential rally in Europe.
“If the president decides to go to Europe, he is not alone in his decision. As the MHP leader, I would go to Europe along with him,” Bahceli said.
Relations between Turkey and Germany plunged to a new low last week, after German local authorities cancelled rallies of Turkish justice and economy ministers, who were scheduled to meet the representatives of Germany’s 3 million-strong Turkish community, on the proposed constitutional changes.
On Sunday, Erdogan slammed German authorities for undermining freedom of expression and right to assembly, saying these practices "are no different from the Nazi ones of the past”.
Nearly 1.5 million Turkish residents in Germany are eligible to vote in Turkey’s April 16 referendum on constitutional reforms, which include a switch to a presidential system of governance.
Turkish citizens will cast their votes at Turkish consulates in Germany between March 27 and April 9.
*Reporting by Enes Kaplan; Writing by Burcu Arik
