Mideast: Why is Turkey Monitoring Nationals in Germany?
Martin Schroeder / EyeEm
Turkey has always had a oddly close relationship with Germany and immigration from Turkey to the latter has provided Germany with about 1.5 million Germans with a Turkish Background whom continue to retain Turkish citizenship. Back in 2017 it has been revealed that the Turkish state is spying on these Turkish nationals. But for what reason?
Largescale Turkish migration into Germany began in the early 1960’s but has since the 1980’s been on a steady decline. Turkish migrants were really meant to serve as temporary workers in Germany. However, after the German government removed a two-year limit on staying in the country and allowed the immigration and unification of previously separated Turkish families, Turkish migrants began to take up a large part of German demographics coming to represent an up to four million strong population in the country.
Today, many Turkish Germans harbor grievances against the German state for alleged discrimination and marginalization, in the words of one young Turkish-German interviewed by the New York Times “There’s the constant assumption that you do not belong, or that you do not identify with Germany like others around you… Your alleged non-Germanness is also emphasized. Nobody would describe us as “half-German,” for example, but as “half-Turkish,” as if that were the dominant side”. But at the same time many Turkish-German’s also harbor resentment and suspicion from the Turkish state, whom as will be seen has had a history of spying on Turkish dissidents in Germany and attempting to extradite them back to the country to prosecute them.
Germany’s Relationship with Turkey
In terms of foreign relations between the countries themselves, Turkey and Germany have had an oddly positive relationship with each other that has only seen turmoil in recent times. Their relationship is intimately linked to their immigration ties but has also been a association that has lasted since the days of the Ottoman Empire right into the end of World War II, as claimed adamantly by the Turkish Embassy’s statements on the matter. Trade between the two totaled approximately 35.4 billon euros last year and recent history has seen Germany attempt to incorporate Turkey with the European Union while remaining relatively silent on Turkish aggression in the Balkans. With that said, after the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016, Turkey has been pressuring Germany to extradite hundreds of officials who have requested asylum in Germany as well as attempted a sort of “hostile diplomacy” by attempting to trade German prisoners held up in Turkish prisons for Turkish dissidents currently under asylum in Germany.
Why is Turkey Spying on Turkish-Germans?
Since 2017, the Turkish government has been accused by Germany on spying on Turkish nationals living in the country. This comes as no coincidence as seen by the above attempts of the current Turkish state to crack down on dissidents fleeing the country and whom have the potentiality to threaten the political status quo within the thoroughly authoritarian Turkish state under its current leadership.
Back in April 2016, the German government kowtowed to the Turkish state’s request to publicly prosecute a German-Turkish satirist whom made disparaging comments about Erdogan and since 2017, it had been revealed that Turkish intelligence agents have been spying on Turkish nationals in the country with “more Turkish spies working in Germany that Communist East Germany had in West Germany during the Cold War”. Turkey has gone so far as to recruit clerics working with the Ankara controlled “Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs” to spy on Turkish Germans, leading the German government to debate whether to put the organization itself under their surveillance.
The reasoning for these clandestine operations lies in the Turkish government’s suspicion of Turkish dissidents working outside of the country in attempts bring about the downfall of the current administration. Erdogan and his ilk are weary of anti-government groups such as the infamous Gulen Movement whom were the perpetrators of the failed coup in 2016, but also several Kurdish organizations designated as adversaries by the Turkish government. Indeed, tensions between proponents of the current Turkish administration and Kurds has spilled over into Germany where clashes over Turkish military operations continue. Kurds coming from Turkey into Germany are in danger of harassment and surveillance from the Turkish intelligence apparatus as Turkey continues to attempt to curb anti-Erdogan sentiments outside of the country.
Information continues to come out about the Turkish state’s spying operations in Germany and if Germany is unable to curb Turkey’s ability to spy on its citizens it will undoubtedly act as motivation for the Turkish government to continue to overextend their operations outside of their country. It stands to reason that Germany has the ability to end the Turkish government and Erdogan’s intelligence operations within the country, perhaps by targeting those entities that are known for their working with Turkey in surveilling Turkish nationals. Germany has every right to insist that Turkey seize their spying of Turkish Germans and indeed may have a moral imperative to act against the Turkish state in maneuverings that could very well harm Turkish dissidents taking refuge in Germany.
