Some politicians in Germany are exerting all kinds of efforts to aggravate the ongoing crisis between Turkey and Germany. Almost every day, a senior minister or politician issues libelous remarks against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Likewise, German media outlets publish news reports and articles against Turkey that offend Turkish citizens.
Germany, which almost gave red carpet treatment to former General and current Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who staged a coup in Egypt and executed dissidents and did not have any problems with other dictators who shed blood in their countries, is for some reason acting unusually in the context of Turkey, violating all kinds of diplomatic norms. Their much-praised crisis management has now become a foreign term in Germany.
Interestingly, current representatives of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the party of the most successful politicians in terms of crisis management in the past, are the leading figures provoking the crisis. It must be explained to the SPD that they have already lost the election, and it is not possible to win with such an attitude.
An article recently penned by two federal ministers from the SPD and published in a German weekly says there is a need to mobilize NATO to take action for the resolution of the crisis. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Justice Minister Heiko Maas used strong language in the article that should only be employed against an enemy. The two ministers claim that Erdoğan aims to form a parallel community in Germany. But if they tried to understand Erdoğan instead of disrespecting him on every occasion, they could see that Erdoğan is also concerned about parallel formations in Germany.
There are some parallel formations in Germany. The outlawed PKK has taken root in Germany with some profound bonds. I wonder to what extent German intelligence and police observe PKK offshoots in Germany. They terrorize and racketeer mostly Kurds living in Germany, while provoking juveniles to terrorism.
Likewise, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) has such deep roots in Germany and Belgium that one has to be blind to overlook it.
If only Gabriel and Maas would also show the sensitivity they show to other issues to FETÖ and the PKK. PKK or FETÖ-owned TV stations have been brainwashing Turkish people for years.
Formerly, while leftists in Germany were accusing the state of condoning racists; they said the state was blind in the right eye.
And now, I guess we must say that one eye of the German state is closed so as to not see terrorist groups such as FETÖ and the PKK.
However, the deepening crisis undermines the interests of both the EU and NATO.
Germany cannot have the luxury to undermine NATO's interests in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Balkans and the Caucasus only for the sake of messing with Erdoğan on whom some German politicians personally waged war.
Those who almost declared Turkey an enemy must be reminded that Turkey is also a NATO member and as essential to it as Germany. Likewise, although Germany views the EU as a commodity made in Germany, particularly in the context of the crisis with Turkey, many EU countries are disturbed by the situation. They do not support Germany's demands for sanctions on Turkey.
As a result, it seems that Germany is not capable of resolving the crisis with Turkey constructively.
Turkey, which has the second-largest military in NATO and guards a critical region on behalf of NATO, cannot be declared an enemy just because a few German politicians wish it so.
Also, provoking Turkey against the EU will bring no benefit to the EU. NATO and the EU must intervene as mediators to avert greater losses.
