Contents tagged with Germany

  • Germany asks Ukraine not to extradite detained Kurd to Turkey

    At Turkey’s request, Cologne resident Kemal K., who has both German and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in Ukraine on an Interpol arrest warrant.

    As reported by Deutsche Welle, it came out on October 17 that Kemal had been arrested already at the middle of this year at a request made by Turkey through Interpol. He is free to move about, but he cannot leave Ukrainian territory until a decision is made regarding his extradition to the Turkish authorities.

    Residing in Germany since 2017, Kemal …

  • Putin avoided speaking about Siemens scandal during a meeting with German businessmen

    The question of the Siemens turbines that were shipped to the Crimea was not raised at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German businessmen, as stated by the Press Secretary for the President, Dmitry Peskov, RIA Novosti reports. "The question was not brought up," was Peskov’s answer to the inquiry.

    Previously, Siemens stated that two of the company's four turbines were delivered to the Crimea against its will. On July 11th, the company filed a lawsuit against …

  • Kaczynski: Poland is actively analyzing the possibility of German reparations for World War II

    Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the Polish ruling party “Law and Justice” said that the potential Polish initiative on demanding reparations from Germany for World War II is being intensely analyzed, as reported by Polskie Radio.

    When asked whether Law and Justice aims to start negotiations with the German government on reparations, Kaczyński said that the party "does not rule out such an option," however he added that "there is another possibility… this can be done through American courts." …

  • Poland creates parliamentary committee for World War II reparations from Germany

    The Polish Sejm created a committee which will work on Germany's payment of reparations for World War II, Polish news agency PAP reports.

    We want to start work in the Polish parliament, which aims to analyze the amount of compensation that Germany must pay to Poland, and we want to clearly understand the legal paths or options for implementing these requirements," MP from the ruling PiS (Law and Justice) party Arkadiusz Mularczyk said.

    The first meeting of the group will be held during the …

  • Polish Interior Minister: Merkel lost votes for opening Germany’s borders to refugees

    Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Błaszczak believes that Angela Merkel’s party could have gotten many more votes if not for the migration crisis in the European Union and the decision of the German Chancellor to open the borders to refugees. He stated this on Sunday in the evening program of Polish television.

    "Chancellor Merkel paid a high price for her decision of 2015 to open the borders of Germany," Błaszczak said. In his opinion, this step was "a violation of EU legislation" made without …

  • France and Germany are preparing their proposals on the introduction of UN peacekeepers in the Donbas

    The French and German sides are discussing their proposals regarding the mandate of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas, reports Andreas Peschke, Director for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia at the German Federal Foreign Office.

    "As for our participation [...] we are currently discussing this issue with our partners. First and foremost, with our French partners as we closely cooperate in the Normandy format. I believe, following it we will discuss the final option with …

  • German Foreign Minister: the EU may loosen sanctions on Russia if it fulfills its obligations regarding the peacekeepers in Donbas

    The European Union can ease sanctions if the Russian proposal for the deployment of peacekeepers to the Donbas is quickly implemented, said German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, according to Der Spiegel magazine.

    "If the deployment of peacekeepers is successful and if this can be quickly implemented, then of course we should also take action and ease sanctions," Gabriel said.

    Gabriel added that it is necessary to "quickly begin negotiations in New York" about the deployment of the …

  • Merkel compares annexation of the Crimea with the division of Germany

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she does not agree with a statement by the Chairman of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) Christian Lindner, who has proposed turning a blind eye to the annexation of the Crimea, Deutsche Welle reported.

    In an interview with the weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, which was released on Sunday, September 10, Merkel cited the situation of the division of Germany as an example to reiterate that historical injustice should not be …

  • Berlin calls Polish demands for the payment of reparations groundless

    Germany has refused to pay Poland additional reparations for damages inflicted during the Second World War. "From the point of view of the federal government, there is no basis for and legal effectiveness in questioning the refusal of reparations in 1953," said official German government official Steffen Seibert, reports Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

    According to Seibert, Germany has already been held accountable for the "unthinkable crimes" committed by the Nazis during the war. In addition, …

  • Ahead of Zapad-2017 military exercises Germany and France condemn Russia for 'strategy of intimidation'

    Germany and France have criticized the future joint Zapad-2017 military exercises by Russia and Belarus, saying that Moscow is trying to demonstrate its military strength near the border with the EU and NATO.

    "It is particularly important in this context that we reaffirm our presence in the face of...this demonstration the Russians are making, which is a strategy of intimidation," French Defense Minister Florence Parly said on September 7, as part of an informal meeting of the defense …