03 October 2018•Update: 04 October 2018
By Enes Kaplan and Duygu Yener
ANKARA
Turkey's ruling party spokesman on Tuesday likened far-right groups in Europe to the Daesh terror group.
"Europe's Daesh is far-right groups," Justice and Development (AK) Party's spokesman Omer Celik said at a news conference following the party's central committee meeting.
"The activities of politicians from far-right groups in Europe give room to Daesh [to propagate]," he said, adding that at the same time activities of Daesh terrorists are fodder for far-right groups.
"What Daesh is to the Middle East is the same as what far-right groups are to Europe," he said.
Celik said "some circles" in Germany tried to present a negative image of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent visit to the country.
"Far-right groups are using a matryoshka doll-like system," Celik said. "They are hiding their hatred for Turkey by hating our president. If you lift that doll, you will see hatred towards Islam. If you lift that doll, you will see anti-semitism."
Erdogan's much anticipated three-day visit to Germany commenced on Sept. 27 with a busy agenda on mainly bilateral political and economic issues that aim at normalizing once seriously damaged ties.
Celik also described European Parliament's decision to cancel funding meant to help Turkey about refugees as "not democratic, but an ideological one".
Last Tuesday, the European Parliament’s Budget Committee said that they are canceling 70 million euros ($82.4 million) funding to Turkey.
