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              EU Criticizes Turkey for Summoning German Ambassador

   by VOA News

   The European Union has criticized Turkey for summoning the German
   ambassador over a song mocking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as
   incompatible with EU democratic values.

   Asked about the incident during Wednesday's press briefing, spokeswoman
   Mina Andreeva said that the move does not seem to be "in line with
   upholding the freedom of the press and freedom expression, which are
   values the EU cherishes a lot."

   Andreeva added that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
   "believes this moves Turkey further from the EU rather than closer to
   us."

   Turkey, an aspiring candidate for EU membership, called in Berlin's
   envoy last week to protest the broadcasting of a short clip -- Erdowie,
   Erdowo, Erdogan -- which ridiculed the Turkish president for his
   alleged extravagant spending and crackdown on civil liberties.

   Rights groups and the West have repeatedly criticized Ankara for its
   track record on human rights, but the 28-nation bloc reached a deal
   with Ankara on March 18 to curb the unprecedented influx of migrants
   into Europe.

   Erdogan has repeatedly rejected any criticism of Turkey's rights
   record.

   Andreeva recalled what Juncker said in a recent interview with the
   Handelsblatt German newspaper "that part of our cooperation with Turkey
   is precisely to talk openly about these issues and address these issues
   because we do want that Turkey moves closer to EU standards in this
   area."

   Some mateiral for this report came from AFP and Reuters.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-criticizes-turkey-for-summoning-ge
   rman-ambassador/3261258.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-criticizes-turkey-for-summoning-german-ambassador/3261258.html