Prime Minister congratulates German Chancellor Merkel over election victory

ANKARA

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım sent a congratulatory message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel after she was re-elected with her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany’s election on Sept. 24. 

“I have sent a written congratulatory note to Merkel,” Yıldırım said in a televised interview on Sept. 25.

“They have a system that changes in every election. [The CDU] could not become the sole ruling party, but it is the top party,” he added. 

Yıldırım also noted that during the election period German politicians had “often been antagonistic to Turkey and Erdoğan.”

“The election season is over … Now we have to get back to normal and look to our work,” he said.

The prime minister also commented on the increased vote share for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which entered the Bundestag as the third biggest party in the Sept. 24 election.

“Merkel has realized that voicing ambitious comments is harmful. The racists have won. Germany has to take precautions about this issue in the future,” he said. 

“They should also stop tolerating members of the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization [FETÖ] and the [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party] PKK. In order for relations between Germany and Turkey to normalize, there is a need for that,” Yıldırım said.