Turkey's Erdogan says Berlin relations to improve after German election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) for a family photo taking during G20 (Group of 20) leaders’ summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017 [ Michele Tantussi / Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that tension with Europe was due to European domestic politics and relations with Berlin would improve after Germany’s parliamentary election in September.

Relations between Europe and Turkey, a NATO member and a candidate for European Union membership, have been strained by the crackdown that followed last year’s failed coup, with some European countries voicing alarm at the scale of the purges.

Erdogan tells Germany: ‘You do not have the power to defame or scare us’

“Criticism from Europe is about their internal politics,” Erdogan said in a speech in the western city of Isparta that was broadcast live on television.

“France and Austria did this before, we see that Germany follows the same strategy. I believe that this situation will improve after elections,” he said, referring to the September 24 polls where Chancellor Angela Merkel is running for a fourth term.

Read: NATO concerned about Germany-Turkey row

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