Germany urges swift end to state of emergency in Turkey
WASHINGTON - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday Turkey's crackdown on academics after a failed military coup did not appear to be in line with the country's laws, and urged Ankara to end a state of emergency as quickly as possible.
"Revoking the teaching credentials of university professors and preventing researchers from leaving the country - those are all measures that I cannot imagine are in accordance with the rule of law, and, more importantly, with the current laws in Turkey," Steinmeier told reporters.
"We continue to expect that Turkey will adhere to the rule of law and that it will lift the state of emergency after three months as planned," he said. "Everything else would exacerbate tensions inside Turkey and harm Turkey itself."
