German – European Affairs Magazine

Presidency Council angrily denies arms smuggling rumours

15 Maggio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Refutation of recent accusations in arms smuggling. The Presidency Council (PC) has angrily denied that it is in any way connected with an arms shipment intercepted by a German warship a fortnight ago. It has warned the media to be credible and professional and not to fall prey to social media rumours. The Libyan-flagged motor-vessel El Mukthar was stopped in international waters on 1 May by the German navy corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein. When boarded and searched the Libyan vessel was found to be transporting a range of weaponry including machine guns, AK47 assault rifles, RPG launchers and grenades, mortar bombs and other ammunition. The German ship, part of EU Sofia operation. According to some social media, it was a way, for PC to arm its new Presidential Guard. However, PC told that it’s fighting against arms smuggling, and works with EU for that.

Envoy invites Saudi Arabia to join Germany in shift to green energy.

3 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

During the opening of the exhibition “German Energy Transition” german ambassador Haller invited Saudi Arabia to join Germany transition to green energy from oil and uranium, due to the Kingdom availability of sun and wind. The german ambassador said also that “Germany is willing to cooperate with the Kingdom on a government level and on a private-sector level”. Moreover the german embassy said that the country decided to switch the entire energy supply to renewables by 2050 using a precise roadmap and in 2016 the share of renewables in German gross domestic power production 30 percent. In fine the ambassador commended the Saudi government for taking steps to introduce renewables in the local energy production.

Thousands of Kurds protest against Turkey's Erdogan in Frankfurt.

19 Marzo 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Around 9,000 Kurdish supporters demonstrated in the German city of Frankfurt against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and an April referendum that would give him sweeping new powers. “We don’t need any Erdogan, we don’t need him. His people are going to say ‘yes and we need a ‘no,no,no’. I am against Erdogan. That’s it. He is a dictator”, said another demonstrator who didn’t want to give his name.Several hundred police officers were deployed at the demonstration, which police said was peaceful. On Wednesday the German government approved voting by the estimated 1.4 million Turks living in Germany who are eligible to cast ballots in the April 16 referendum.Erdogan is seeking support among Turks abroad for the referendum. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said Erdogan is taking advantage of a sentiment many people of Turkish origin have in Germany that they are neither accepted nor welcomed. Relations between Ankara and Berlin have been burdened by the arrest of a Turkish-German journalist in Turkey and by Erdogan’s description of bans on planned rallies by Turkish ministers as “fascist”.