An opinion poll published on Wednesday by the Die Welt newspaper suggests that slightly less than a quarter of Germans support a planned state visit to Germany by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while a large majority of 69 percent opposes it.
Among respondents who are against the visit, over 50 percent expressed complete disapproval, and 19 percent said they were somewhat opposed, according to the survey.
Participants partially or strongly in favor of the visit account for 23.9 percent of the total, and 7 percent say they are undecided.
The antagonism towards Erdoğan’s visit appears to be present across the political spectrum and shared by potential voters of all parties. However, it seems highest among Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters (81.3 percent) and lowest among Social Democratic Party (SPD) voters (58.4 percent).
The Bild newspaper reported Saturday that Erdoğan’s first state visit to Germany since becoming president in 2014 was expected to take place in late September, also suggesting that the visit would include a military honor guard and state banquet.
The report was received with outrage by the opposition and drew sharp criticism, especially from former Greens leader Cem Özdemir. A spokesperson for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pointed out that the invitation had been extended some time ago.
Neither the specific date nor the details of the visit has yet been confirmed. (turkishminute.com)
