German Chancellor Angela Merkel ignores the fact that Turkish President Erdogan is waging war against his own people and continues to take advantage of the questionable cooperation with him on the refugee issue, Handelsblatt wrote.
"Merkel needs Erdogan for her own political survival," the article said.
"Erdogan has created his own trump card to prevent Europe's intervention — the refugees," the article said. The Turkish President takes advantage of the trust of European countries, and is "smoothly waging the dirty war" in his own country, which again results in the new flows of migrants fleeing the south-eastern parts of the country amid increased violence.
In mid-December, Turkish authorities started a so-called antiterrorist operation in the southeast of the country. The brutal operations against Kurdish communities have left hundreds dead, including civilians, and resulted in the arrest of a number of Turkish academics who have vocally opposed the government's treatment of Turkish Kurds.
