German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised Turkey for doing “remarkable work in hosting refugees” and criticized Greece for its treatment of refugees. In her speech in Germany ahead of the EU Summit, Merkel also hinted that Greece and Turkey came close to war two months ago, implying that the tension was defused due to Berlin’s mediation..
“It’s hard to imagine how small the distance between military conflict and peaceful settlement can get in some cases,” Merkel told a session of the German lower house of parliament Bundestag ahead of the European Council meeting on October 1-2.
Worth recalling that it was Berlin that dismissed a Spiegel report end of July that the two countries came close to war.
“Tensions with Greece and the Greek- Cypriot side are high, yet Turkey is a NATO partner and it is doing wonderful and remarkable work in hosting some 4 million refugees,” Merkel said and criticized Greece over recent developments at Moria camp on the island of Lesvos.
Merkel said “in recent days we have seen horrible images regarding the treatment of refugees. And not from Turkey, I would like to emphasize, but from Lesvos, from an EU Member State.”
She added that it is important that a pilot refugee camp will be set up in Lesvos, which will be largely managed by the EU.
“We need to look very carefully,” he said, “how to achieve the escalation of tension, how to strengthen co-operation on refugees and on the humane treatment of refugees.”
Outlining, in a way, Germany’s position at tomorrow’s EU Summit, Merkel said “we should redefine our relationship with Turkey every time, but also insist on cooperating with it on important issues,” German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported.
PS Surprise! Merkel forgot how Turkey instrumentalized thousands of refugees last February and March, when it pushed them to Greece via the Evros borders. Περασμένα, Ξεχασμένα -“Forgive and Forget”- as we say in Greek.
Wow, unprecedented delusion from Berlin. Next thing you know Merkel will be saying it was Greece who instigated the refugee exodus from Syria et al in attempting regime change…absurdist theatrical revisionism. The images from the Orwellian “reception centers” on the islands have always been appalling, but to heap praise on Turkey for their “remarkable treatment” of refugees is just farcical. Remarkable in how they fed the weapons and money that enabled Sunni jihadists to gun down their fellow Syrians causing the families to flee in the first place or… ?
With Millions of Turks living in Germany It’s understandable that Germany where’s pampers every time Erdogan snaps his fingers , Greece has been a political Target of Turkey and Germany from the first and Second World War looks like Tyrannical Nazi and Fanatical Muslim Brotherhood Terrorism go Hand in hand ! With Turkey meddling in A new Conflict against Armenia Erdogan is driving the last nail in his own coffin That’s a No No for Russia and will call for the end of Turkey ! And bring down the German economy as half of German production is made in Turkey this is going to be fun to watch !!
Birds of a feather flock together, one killed Armenians, the other Jews.
That’s the next heartless monster that needs to be dealt with after Turkey is put in in its place. A country who runs a Europe that it tried to destroy twice.
They are just as nationalistic and Greece gave them the hardest time in WWII where opportunities like this or when it comes to forcing loans in either direction are relished by these equally sadistic barbarians.
As I recall if it wasn’t for Germany pouring billions of euros to save your country from bankruptcy, you would be selling your Island by now.
But you Greeks would not remember that fact, would you? The spoilt nation of Greece still living in Spartan days LOL.
The person who is originally responsable (or better, irresponsable!) for this whole refugee problem in the first place IS Merkel. She should just keep quiet.
What a lot of bullshit nationalistic Greek thinking here in the comments. Whatever your opinion about Turkey, it’s a disgrace to humanity that the Greek government has done NOTHING to find a solution for the refugee problem, especially on Lesvos. The Greeks cash all the money from the EU, but refuse to use it for the purpose it was meant to be: filling corrupt pockets of politicians, as usual in the past 40 years….
Cash, cash cash, is all you guys protest when forcing loans in either direction back then or today.
It is not a matter of nationalism than what is right. Where is the cash Germany promised to repay for the forced WWII loan? Germany reunified and was careful to word their reunification so as not to trigger reparations.
It is Germany who should honor her commitments, they don’t even pay their fair share of NATO the trade cheats.
This woman has done a lot of damage to Europe. She may be reminded that she was the one that invited everybody in with her “Wir schaffen das”. But then it turned out that is was politically damaging to her and the borders shut, leaving Greece to deal with the problem. Greece might not act very humanely sometimes but they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. And it is Erdogan that plays political games at the expense of the refugees. He holds them and let’s them go however and whenever he wants to.
Germany’s and Merkel’s position towards Greece is terrible. And is their position towards whole of the Western Balkans. And what do you get then? Russia, China, the US and Turkey come to play. The EU is going to lose the Western Balkans and they only have themselves to blame.
Can’t wait for Merkel to go. She has caused much damage in Europe.