By Asbarez | Wednesday, 17 August 2016
BERLIN (Associated Press)—The German government said in a confidential document obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday that Turkey has become “the central platform of action for Islamist groups” in the Middle East.
The statement, first reported by ARD public television, was contained in a classified section of a reply from the Interior Ministry to questions from an opposition party.
In it, the ministry said “numerous statements of solidarity and supportive actions” for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and “groups in the armed Islamist opposition in Syria” by Turkey’s governing party and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “underline their ideological affinity with the Muslim Brothers.”
The August 10 document added that “as a result of Ankara’s domestic and foreign policy that has been Islamized step-by-step above all since 2011, Turkey has developed into the central platform of action for Islamist groups in the Middle East region.”
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is shunned as a terrorist group by the European Union and the U.S.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement saying the document is “classified as confidential, therefore we cannot comment publicly on the content.”
It added that because of a “clerical error,” the Foreign Ministry wasn’t involved in the final draft of the answer to The Left Party, which had asked whether “the Muslim Brothers gained influence” after the governing party under Erdogan, who was previously prime minister, took office.
The Turkish government said it had no immediate comment on the document.
Relations between Germany and Turkey have been frayed since the German parliament voted June 2 to label the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago as genocide.
The Turkish government also has bristled at criticism of the scope of its crackdown following the aborted July 15 coup and has complained of a lack of support from the West.
comments
Iran Holds Massive War Games Near Armenian, Azeri Borders
Putin Invites Pashinyan, Aliyev for Talks, Slams Macron
Armenian Man Arrested In Russia Over Crimea Bridge Blast
U.S. Again Calls on Azerbaijan to Pull Back Troops in Armenia
Russia Calls on Azerbaijan to Pull Back Troops in Armenia
France Demands Withdrawal of Azerbaijani Forces from Armenia
Aliyev Says No One or Nothing Can Stop His Forces
CSTO Secretary-General Arrives in Armenia as Putin Calls for Restraint
Tehran Vows Strong Resistance Against Effort to Damage Iran-Armenia Border
Aliyev Anticipates Yerevan-Baku Peace Treaty Will be Signed in a Few Months