ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday called on Turkish-origin Germans to give a 鈥渟lap鈥� to both parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 ruling coalition in September polls, pressing on with what Berlin has condemned as unprecedented meddling.
Erdogan has caused consternation in Berlin by urging ethnic Turks in Germany to vote neither for Merkel鈥檚 Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SPD) nor the Greens in the Sept. 24 legislative polls.
Defiantly returning to the controversy for the third consecutive day, Erdogan called on ethnic Turks living in Germany not to vote for parties who are 鈥渆nemies of Turkey.鈥�
鈥淏e with those who are friendly to Turkey. Don鈥檛 worry if it鈥檚 a small party, give them your vote. They will then grow and get bigger.鈥�
鈥淚n my opinion, those who attack Turkey in this way need to be dealt a slap in this election,鈥� Erdogan told ruling party activists in a televised speech in Istanbul.
He did not specify which parties the Turkish community in Germany should consider voting for.
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, a senior member of the SPD, had bitterly denounced Erdogan鈥檚 calls as an 鈥渦nprecedented act of interference鈥� in Germany鈥檚 sovereignty.
This prompted the Turkish president the day earlier to tell Berlin鈥檚 top diplomat to 鈥渒now your limits鈥� and question his political experience. And Erdogan on Sunday brushed off the criticism that he was meddling in the elections. 鈥淲hat are they saying now? They are saying 鈥榟e鈥檚 interfering in our democracy.鈥� But all we are saying is that our citizens should give the enemies of Turkey a lesson at the ballot box. That鈥檚 all.鈥�
The latest spat between Ankara and Berlin risks propelling a months-long crisis in ties between two NATO allies with deep historic links to a new level.
Berlin has lambasted Ankara over the magnitude of the crackdown that followed last year鈥檚 failed coup, which has seen several German citizens arrested, including journalists.
Ankara, meanwhile, has accused Berlin of failing to extradite suspected Kurdish militants and coup plotters who have taken refuge in Germany. Analysts estimate that about 1.2 million people of Turkish origin will have the right to vote in the September elections.
Meanwhile, Austria has joined Germany in its criticism of the Turkish president.
Austria鈥檚 Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz entered the fray on Sunday, criticizing Erdogan in an interview with newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag. Kurz, who is running for Chancellor in October鈥檚 election, accused Erdogan of trying to rile up the Turkish diaspora.
鈥淧resident Erdogan is trying to instrumentalize ethnic Turkish communities, especially in Germany and Austria,鈥� he told the paper. 鈥淗e polarizes and brings Turkish conflicts into the EU.
鈥淚 condemn the constant interference by Erdogan in the internal affairs of other states 鈥� and it鈥檚 not happening only in Germany.鈥�