President Erdoan Calls Racism And Islamophobia Are Still Major Problems For Turks In Europe

JAKARTA - Racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia and discrimination remain major problems for the Turkish community in Europe, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed Saturday.

Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Istanbul, President Erdogan said: "The Turkish community in Germany is our commonwealth and holds important social aspects of our relations," quoting Yenisafak October 16.

On this occasion, President Erdogan expressed his hope that in the future Angela Merkel will continue to contribute to the friendship between the two countries, even though she will no longer serve as Chancellor of Germany.

President Erdogan also hoped that the successful cooperation between Turkey and Germany under Angela Merkel could continue in the same way under the new German government.

Meanwhile, Chancellor Merkel said EU support to Turkey on irregular migration would continue.

"We want to prevent human trafficking. It is very important for the EU to support Turkey in this," he said.

Chancellor Merkel stressed that Turkey and Germany have always had common interests, and added this would be looked at by the next federal government.

The press conference followed an hour-long meeting between Erdogan and Merkel at the Huber Mansion. The two leaders discussed the issues on their agenda, especially bilateral relations, in today's meeting, Erdogan said.

To note, after 16 years in power, Angela Merkel is preparing to leave active politics later this year, but she will remain in office until a new coalition government is formed. His Christian Democratic Party (CDU/CSU) narrowly lost in the general election late last month.