(Burhan Ozbilici/Associated Press)BERLIN — Comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials accusing Germany of “Nazi practices” cannot be tolerated and need to stop, Chancellor Angela Merkel told Parliament on Thursday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who himself had repeated Erdogan’s Nazi comments, backtracked somewhat in Ankara on Thursday, saying nobody was calling Merkel or other German leaders Nazis. Our president made a comparison in reference to certain practices,” Cavusoglu told reporters. Even though irritation with the Turkish rhetoric has been increasing, Merkel defended that stance to critics in Parliament who have pushed for an outright ban on any Turkish campaigning in Germany. Germany has dismissed Erdogan’s claims about Yucel as “absurd,” and Merkel told Parliament that the government is working “with all its means” to win Yucel’s freedom.

Source: Washington Post March 09, 2017 08:48 UTC