Turkish FM to meet families of neo-Nazi case victims in Germany

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will meet the families of victims of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU) cell this weekend. DHA photo

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will meet the families of victims of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU) cell during a visit to Germany this weekend, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

“The minister will have contacts with the families of the victims of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) and will meet representatives of Turkish nongovernmental organizations and Turkish citizens in Germany,” the press release said May 9.

The NSU cell is suspected of involvement in the killings of 10 people, eight of them Turks, between 2000 and 2007. A trial against the cell’s survivor member, Beate Zschaepe, was set to set start last week but has been adjourned until May 14.

Davutoğlu is set to hold a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart, Guido Westerwelle, and attend the first meeting of the Strategic Dialogue Mechanism to be established between Turkey and Germany which will be held under the co-chairmanship of the foreign ministers.

The aim in establishing the mechanism is to constitute a new forum for cooperation communication regarding bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues, the statement said.

The minister will also chair the Meeting of Turkish Consuls General in Western European Countries to be held in Berlin, according to the statement.

During the meeting, Davutoğlu will examine fundamental problems concerning Turkish citizens, such as Turkish foster children who have been placed in the care of non-Turkish families, xenophobia, the organization of Turkish elections abroad, education and vocational training in Turkish, the community’s social problems, as well as the improvement of consular services.