FM promises follow-up to neo-Nazi murders

BERLIN - Anatolia News Agency

German Foreign Minister Westerwelle (R) talks to his Turkish counterpart Davutoglu during a press conference in Bonn. AP photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the neo-Nazi case will be closely monitored and he won’t let them to be forgotten. Davutoğlu said the murders were unsettling for Turks in Germany while thanking authorities for their efforts.

“We will not the neo-Nazi case to be forgotten, we only seek one thing: justice.” Davutoğlu told reporters on his 5-day-visit to Germany.

Davutoğlu said the mentality behind these murders should be examined and he couldn’t understand the reason of why murders couldn’t be solved in 10 years. “If these murders are not solved in 10 years then the system, the mentality should be examined. We are investigating unsolved murders in Turkey and continue to do it,” Davutoğlu said. “Germany should handle the xenophobia seriously. It is not just an issue of compensation.”

Davutoğlu said the failure in the interpretation of these murders in a socially and politically disciplined country like Germany for ten years was “grave.” He also said the murders had caused uneasiness among Turkish people. He said the case should not only be considered as a judicial case, but where there was a serial murder it should be analyzed whether there was a racist terrorist organization involved.

 “The murders made Turks living in Germany uneasy,” Davutoglu told a joint press conference with his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle in Bonn. “We should prepare an action plan against xenophobia,” he said. Davutoğlu said Germany should launch a campaign against prejudice as it had done for integration.

His German counterpart, Westerwelle said extreme movements and racism had no place in Germany and those murders couldn’t and wouldn’t separate Germany and Turkey. Westerwelle also said he could think what it would mean for Germany if it lost its citizens in a foreign country in such a way. Eight Turks and a Greek national had been killed by Neo-Nazi cell in several attacks in the past ten years in Germany.

Thanking German dignitaries for their solidarity and remarks, Davutoğlu said Turkey would continue to follow developments. The minister appreciated German President Christian Wulff’s receiving families of the victims and said it was good sign. Davutoğlu also said he did not want to talk to anybody using the expressions “Islamist terrorism” or “Islamic terrorism.” Meanwhile, Davutoğlu on Dec. 3 received by German President Christian Wulff.