Protesters have briefly occupied German honorary consulate on Greek island of Crete to protest against Turkish offensive in Afrin. It was said from Foreign Office that unknown had penetrated into offices of German honorary consul in island capital of Heraklion. Consequently, significant damage to property was created. The incident had been handed over to police.
A Greek police spokesman said that several people had entered offices, removed pictures from walls and hung up protest banners. Then y left. A photo thus showed a transparent attached to balcony of consulate building with slogan "Resistance is life, solidarity with Afrin" in German and in Greek. In Greece re are repeatedly prokurdish demonstrations.
At end of January, Turkish government launched a military campaign against Kurdish People's Defence Units (YPG) in norrn Syria. Ankara sees YPG as a terrorist organization because of its links with banned workers ' Party of Kurdistan (PKK). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that he expects Turkish army to have taken full part of city of Afrin in Syrian region of same name until Wednesday evening.
This week it was known that even after invasion of Turkish troops in Syria, federal government had approved arms deliveries to NATO partner Turkey for millions of dollars. According to DPA, this was a response from Ministry of Economic Affairs to a request by Green MEP Omid Nouripour. Thus, in first half weeks of Turkish operation Olive Branch against Kurdish militia YPG in norrn Syria, 20 export licences for German armaments of 4.4 million euros were granted.
However, it is a case of "individual cases", writes economic secretary Matthias Machnig in response of federal government. The approvals would be "eir in connection with international armaments cooperations in which Germany is bound by contractual obligations towards or EU and NATO partners, or y serve NATO alliance defence".
In recent days re have been several attacks in Germany on Turkish institutions and mosques. Investigators think it is possible that re is a Kurdish protest against Turkish offensive in Syria.
Date Of Update: 17 March 2018, 12:02
