ANKARA: Turkey on Friday accused Germany of working for a "No" vote ahead of an April referendum on whether to boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers in an executive presidency.
"They don't want Turkey to campaign here, they are working for a 'No'. They want to get in the way of a strong Turkey," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara after German local authorities blocked rallies where Turkish ministers were due to speak.
The Turkish public will vote on April 16 on whether to create a system which Ankara says will be like that of France and the United States and ensure political stability.
However, critics say the system will weaken parliament further and lead to one-man rule.
Tensions have increased in recent days between Turkey and Berlin after Ankara's provisional detention of a German journalist on terrorism-related charges on Monday.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag scrapped his visit to address the Turkish community in the western German town of Gaggenau on Thursday after local authorities withdrew an agreement to allow the rally.
He had also been due to meet his German counterpart.
Cologne city authorities meanwhile said they would no longer allow the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) to use a hall on Sunday, when Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci was expected to make a speech.
The row deepened after the Turkish government summoned Germany's ambassador to Ankara on Thursday in protest at the cancellation of the rallies.
Cavusoglu hit back at the moves by German officials, accusing them of double standards and failing to "honour democracy, freedom of expression or freedom of assembly".
Ahead of an election later this year, Cavusoglu warned Germany to "stay far away from populism" and told Germany it would "need to learn how to behave towards Turkey" if Berlin wanted to maintain relations.
"You must see us as an equal partner," he added.
Turkey says Berlin working against bid to boost Erdogan powers
Turkey says Berlin working against bid to boost Erdogan powers
Two dead in Israeli strikes on Lebanon
- Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah
SIDON, Lebanon: Israeli strikes in south Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, authorities said, as Israel said it targeted operatives from militant group Hezbollah.
Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite the November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the Iran-backed group or its infrastructure.
The health ministry said that an “Israeli enemy strike... on a vehicle in the town of Zahrani in the Sidon district killed one person,” referring to an area far from the Israeli border.
An AFP correspondent saw a charred car on a main road with debris strewn across the area and emergency workers in attendance.
Later, the ministry said another strike targeting a vehicle in the town of Bazuriyeh in the Tyre district killed one person.
Israel said it struck operatives from the militant group in both areas, saying the raids came “in response to Hezbollah’s repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings.”
This month, Lebanon’s army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group, covering the area south of the Litani river, around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
The strike in Zahrani on Wednesday was north of the Litani.
Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of rearming, has criticized the army’s progress as insufficient, while Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.
More than 350 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of health ministry reports.
