Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned against a break in relations and announced that Germany and Europe would continue to seek dialogue. "It would not be in the interests of Germany or the EU for Turkey to permanently turn its back on Europe or for Europe to permanently turn its back on Turkey," she said in the German Bundestag. She continued, "Within the European Union we will be discussing with prudence and clarity precisely what consequences we consider appropriate at what time."

No level playing field in the referendum campaign

The massive reservations of the Venice Commission in terms of the procedure and the substance of the constitutional reform are a very serious matter, said the Chancellor. At the start of her government statement on the Brexit summit she mentioned the situation in Turkey in the wake of the referendum.

The joint report of the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the course of the referendum in Turkey must be noted with grave concern, she said. The Turkish government will be judged by this report and must answer the questions it raises.

The report finds that there was no level playing field for the various sides in the referendum campaign. This is every bit as serious as the finding that basic democratic rights were curtailed during the state of emergency. "We will be following very closely how Turkey deals with the investigation of irregularities," continued Angela Merkel.

Implementing the constitutional reform

In this context, the Chancellor also addressed the further action of the Turkish government to implement the constitutional reform and in its cooperation with the Council of Europe. This includes the comprehensive monitoring procedure agreed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The massive reservations expressed by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe with respect to the procedure and the substance of the constitutional reform are extremely serious. Angela Merkel declared, "Turkey must take these reservations into account."

Imprisonment of Deniz Yücel

With a view to the journalist Deniz Yücel, who is currently imprisoned in Turkey, she said, "Let us be quite clear about this. It is not compatible with the rule of law when the executive, in this case the Turkish executive, publicly prejudges a case, as in the case of Deniz Yücel." The German government will not cease in its efforts to reiterate its demands that Turkey comply with rule-of-law standards, including the precious assets of freedom of opinion and freedom of the press, not only in view of the fate of Deniz Yücel "but given the huge number of criminal cases in Turkey as a whole".

Last week’s developments have severely strained German-Turkish and European-Turkish relations, said the Chancellor. But she added, "Even in this situation we will continue to endeavour to return to a constructive German-Turkish and European-Turkish dialogue."