Germany raised the possibility on Wednesday (19 July) of suspending
European Union aid payments to Turkey after summoning Ankara’s
ambassador to Berlin to protest over the arrest of six human rights
activists including a German citizen.
The moves mark a further escalation of tensions between NATO allies Germany and Turkey, who are at loggerheads over a wide range of issues.
This month, Turkey arrested rights activists including Amnesty International’s Turkey head Idil Eser and German citizen Peter Steudtner on terrorism charges, which Berlin has labelled “absurd”.
Read more: Germany says EU aid to Turkey could be halted over arrests – EURACTIV.com
The moves mark a further escalation of tensions between NATO allies Germany and Turkey, who are at loggerheads over a wide range of issues.
This month, Turkey arrested rights activists including Amnesty International’s Turkey head Idil Eser and German citizen Peter Steudtner on terrorism charges, which Berlin has labelled “absurd”.
Read more: Germany says EU aid to Turkey could be halted over arrests – EURACTIV.com