On May 26, Turkey's opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) held a 1,000-strong rally in Cologne.
"Turkish people feel uncomfortable over the meddling in domestic affairs, interference in elections, and an interventionist attitude. So do we. I say, let’s use the ballot to give the biggest response to Germany. With a comeback which will please Turkey and upset Germany on June 24, all their anti-Turkey efforts will go down the drain," Bozdag said, as quoted by the Anadolu agency.
Breaking: #Turk'ish Foreign Ministry condemns #Germany’s decision allowing pro #Kurd'ish rally in #Cologne. pic.twitter.com/Uqk1FaLuBr
— Tiimmy Turner (@NtEnt12) 26 мая 2018 г.
Back in April, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas promised that Berlin would not allow Turkish politicians to conduct election campaign rallies in Germany, the country with the largest Turkish diaspora in Europe.
On April 18, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that snap presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on June 24. The president explained that early elections were needed to ensure a rapid transition to a presidential republic and enforce the constitutional amendments that were adopted after a constitutional referendum in April 2017. The amendments are set to enter into force following both elections, which were initially scheduled for November 3, 2019.
