German Double Standards
As Germany criticises Erdogan for his latest internal power grab, foreign policy pragmatism gives way to a moral-based approach, even though Ankara remains a key partner for Berlin. On the contrary, as ceasefire in eastern Ukraine crumbles due to Moscow’s aggression, Mr. Steinmeier talks about gradual sanctions relieve for the ‘flawless democrat’ Vladimir Putin.
Last week, the German Bundestag passed a resolution recognizing the 100 year old mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as a genocide. Although this political and symbolic gesture was long overdue, by passing this important resolution, Germany risked it’s traditionally good relationship with Turkey, which has been subject to growing turbulences during the recent months.
In what has become an almost annual exercise, Turkey has thrown a fit because someone has spoken the truth about its…www.nytimes.com
After the EU-Turkey deal mainly lobbied by Angela Merkel to decrease the influx of asylum-seekers to Germany by keeping them on the other side of the Bosporus, the EU had to agree to some major concessions in Erdogan’s favor. Obviously, Turkey is a key partner for both EU and Germany when it comes to the refugee crisis. Erdogan’s growing authoritarian tendencies and the recent repeal of immunity of the Kurdish parliamentaries got a lot of bad attention in Brussels and left Europe — especially Berlin — worried. Still, German leaders have been surprisingly outspoken in their criticism towards Ankara. To be fair though, by recognizing the Armenian Genocide as such, Germany also partly took responsibility for the massacre, as during the WWI, the Ottoman Empire and Wilhelmine Germany were allies.
On the other hand, German stance towards Russia remains ambivalent and sometimes even contradictory. While Merkel says there will be no sanctions relieve until all of the stepts of the Minsk agreement will be implemented, Mr. Steinmeier already indicates that sanctions might be counterproductive and with further progress in the Minsk process, talks about gradual sanctions relieve might be introduced. Meanwhile, ceasefire in eastern Ukraine is nothing that would deserve such a name.
"This doesn't smell like peace to me," said the Monk, sighing heavily in his makeshift control centre, a former…www.theguardian.com
In recent weeks, up to 7 Ukrainian soldiers have been KIA per day, which is the highest number of casualties after Russia violated the Minsk 2.0 right after it had been negotiated and took Debaltseve in late Winter 2015. The Russo-German relations apparently still are considered strategic and ‘special’ by a significant part of German elites, first and foremost by the Social Democrats. Mr. Sigmar Gabriel, German Minister of Economy and Vice-Chancellor has been calling for sanctions relieve for a while already, giving a major blow to Merkel’s foreign policy towards Russia. At the same time, Mr. Putin attempts to utilize the recent release of illegally held Nadezhda Savchenko, Ukrainian pilot, for sanctions relieve, too.
While the UK and EU are busy with the upcoming Brexit-vote, the Germans seem to be tired with EU’s multiple crises. Other European leaders are struggling to tacke the rise of populism and right-wing parties at the national level. Today, one can’t be certain that the sanctions towards Russia will be prolonged this summer. Merkel keeps losing its grip over Europe and while the upcoming extension will most likely still happen, the next one might fail. Interestingly enough, German diplomats attach the sanctions to the Minsk process and thus the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Talks about Crimea are nowhere to be heard and while Europe struggles, Ukraine has also failed to prove its will to reform to make a consequent stance towards Russia easier.
