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Claudia Roth: German Turks are not ‘guests’ but our wealth
Speaking to Today’s Zaman in an exclusive interview, Roth also expressed support for the Turkish prime minister’s request to open Turkish schools in Germany, a call that led to tension between Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel before her recent visit to Turkey.
“Getting German citizenship should be made easier, and dual citizenship ought to be allowed again. Turks living in Germany do not need to cut their ties with their roots in Turkey just because they become German citizen. Turkish politicians who have influence over the Turkish minority should encourage them to integrate with German society and learn German. I have met some Turks who do not speak even a sentence of German despite having lived in Germany for 40 years. Many nations have schools in Germany. As far as I’m concerned, we should have more Turkish schools,” said Roth, who is also a member of the Bundestag.
Noting that Turks in Germany are a wealth of German society, Roth said the other co-chair of her party, Cem Özdemir, comes from a Turkish immigrant family and has urged the German government to accept Turks as part of German society. She also said she is proud to be a member of the same society as successful filmmaker Fatih Akın and one of the German national soccer team’s important players, Mesut Özil.
The veteran German politician said both the German government and immigrant Turks should make an effort to ensure integration and the peaceful coexistence of various cultures existent in Germany. She advised the Turkish government to stop adopting the view that German Turks are still Turkish citizens and are expected to act in accordance with Turkey’s interests. “Mr. Erdoğan is not Cem Özdemir’s prime minister; Angela Merkel is,” Roth said.
Defining having respect for everyone’s religious beliefs a must for a multicultural society, Roth said Switzerland’s ban on building minarets is “terrible.” When asked whether she would support allowing the Muslim call to prayer to be broadcast from German mosques, she hesitated at first but said, “Yes, if it is not exaggerated.” Accepting the right of Muslims to build places of worship, the Greens leader said locals should definitely be consulted about the building of any new mosque or the allowance of the call to prayer, adding that there is also controversy about church bells.
Roth criticized leaders of European Union member countries, saying they pursue only their own countries’ interests and overlook the common purposes of the union. Considering this process “nationalization” within the union, Roth said: “French President Nicolas Sarkozy is only working to advance France’s interests. Merkel is working only for Germany’s interests.” This is why, she says, the union has had difficulties tackling problems it faces.
Unresolved problems within the union have stifled its international role, Roth said. “It is to the EU’s benefit to have Turkey as a member. A Turkey which has completed its democratization will be beneficial for the security of the EU and will help the EU regain its international role, which it has lost,” she added. Roth also said that the fact that Turkey’s population is predominantly Muslim cannot be seen as a reason to object to Turkish accession to the European Union.
Criticizing the current German government’s opposition to Turkey’s EU bid, Roth said there is a lack of consensus in the cabinet on the issue, with a strict division between Merkel and her coalition partner and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on the issue of Turkey’s full-fledged EU membership.
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