German legislator called for a suspension of Brussels contact with Erdogan

According to RCO News Agency, the German MP Michael Galler called for the EU to suspend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan until the arrest of Istanbul mayor Akram Imamoglu was not over.

“As long as Imamoglu is in custody, we must suspend the political contacts of the European Union and Erdogan countries,” the Galler said on Saturday. “This will put a lot of pressure on Erdogan.”

However, the German envoy emphasized that it did not support the complete cuts of relations with Ankara, as Turkey is still an important partner for the EU in the areas of immigration, security and in the Ukrainian crisis. He also called for a more active interaction with the Turkish opposition.

On March 5, Imamoglu, known as Erdogan’s main rival in the presidential election, was arrested on charges of communicating with an organization accused of corruption, bribery and support for terrorism. His arrest launched a wave of widespread protests across Türkiye; Protests that prompted security officials to take severe measures and announce a ban on any rally and demonstrations in Istanbul.

According to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, more than 5 supporters of Imamoglu have been arrested during the protests, and four of them have been prosecuted for participating in unauthorized demonstrations.

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