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03-04-2011, 12:58 AM
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Source http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14876788,00.html
Turkey | 27.02.2011
Merkel, Erdogan to open CeBIT trade fair amid tensions
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Chancellor Merkel jointly opened the CeBIT trade fair Monday evening. Earlier, Erdogan criticized the German leader's integration policies and stance on Turkey's EU membership bid.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the information technology trade fair CeBIT in Hanover on Monday along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, following his sharp criticism of German government policies on integration and EU accession on the weekend.
Turkey is the official partner country at this year's CeBit.
Erdogan kicked off his visit on Sunday with a speech to a crowd of 10,000 mainly Turkish residents living in Germany, at Düsseldorf's ISS Dome indoor arena. He pledged them support and said that, while Turks living in Germany should integrate, they should not be forced to assimilate and lose their culture.
"I say yes to integration. We must integrate into society," he said before adding, "No one should be able to rip us away from our culture. Our children must learn German but, first, they must learn Turkish."
In an interview with German daily Rheinische Post ahead of the visit, Erdogan added that policies aimed at encouraging ethnic Turks to speak German as their mother tongue and give up Turkish culture were a "violation of international law."
Source http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14876788,00.html
Turkey | 27.02.2011
Merkel, Erdogan to open CeBIT trade fair amid tensions
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Chancellor Merkel jointly opened the CeBIT trade fair Monday evening. Earlier, Erdogan criticized the German leader's integration policies and stance on Turkey's EU membership bid.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the information technology trade fair CeBIT in Hanover on Monday along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, following his sharp criticism of German government policies on integration and EU accession on the weekend.
Turkey is the official partner country at this year's CeBit.
Erdogan kicked off his visit on Sunday with a speech to a crowd of 10,000 mainly Turkish residents living in Germany, at Düsseldorf's ISS Dome indoor arena. He pledged them support and said that, while Turks living in Germany should integrate, they should not be forced to assimilate and lose their culture.
"I say yes to integration. We must integrate into society," he said before adding, "No one should be able to rip us away from our culture. Our children must learn German but, first, they must learn Turkish."
In an interview with German daily Rheinische Post ahead of the visit, Erdogan added that policies aimed at encouraging ethnic Turks to speak German as their mother tongue and give up Turkish culture were a "violation of international law."