Erdogan’s visit to Germany ends with inauguration of Mosque in Cologne

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a working breakfast in Berlin on Saturday morning, ahead of the Turkish president’s visit to the western city of Cologne.

A spokesperson for the chancellery said the two leaders explored ways of enhancing “economic cooperation,” before discussing the EU-Turkey migration pact and the conflict in Syria.

Merkel and Erdogan’s latest round of talks come the morning after tensions rang high at a state dinner honoring the Turkish leader. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier lamented the deterioration of the rule of law and human rights in Turkey, while Erdogan accused Germany of hosting “hundreds, thousands” of terrorists.

Following his series of meetings in Berlin, Erdogan visited Cologne.

Erdogan officially opened one of Europe’s biggest mosques in Cologne. The new mosque is run by DITIB, a shadowy Turkish-Germanic Islamic organization funded by Ankara.

“In a critical period, we have made a fruitful, successful visit to Germany,” Erdogan told guests at the opening of the Central Mosque. “I stressed that we need to put aside our differences and focus on our common interests.”

The Turkish president called on Germany to crack down on Kurdish separatists.

Erdogan also said soccer star Mesut Özil was forced to retire from the German national team after Germany’s World Cup exit because of his Turkish roots.

“This racism has to end,” he said.

DW