ANKARA - Prime Ministry Press Centre denied on Wednesday the news stories claiming that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested Turks living in Germany to be German during his meeting with representatives of Turkish associations in Germany.
Issuing a written statement, Prime Ministry Press Centre said that some press organs issued wrong news stories and comments on purpose asserting that Prime Minister Erdogan suggested Turks living in Germany to be German.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Erdogan told representatives of Turkish associations in Germany that ''they should not be afraid of integrating with the German society, and the Turks who had German citizenship would not be estranged to being a Turk and national values. Integration and assimilation were different things. While integrating with the German society, Turks living in Germany had to protect and develop national values and Turkish language in order not to be assimilated.''
Prime Ministry Press Centre said that the interpretation of these expressions as ''encouragement to become German'' by some press organs could only be explained by an ''understanding of deliberate, intentional journalism.''
''Again some press organs published imaginary and intentional 'news stories' claiming that Prime Minister met secretly with representatives of some associations which were not invited to the meeting held in Berlin. Mr. Prime Minister met with representatives of legal Turkish associations acting in Germany altogether and that he didn't have any other special or secret meeting with representative of any association or institution other than that. The nation will not show consideration to such kind of wrong and intentional news stories which aim to overshadow the successful and productive meeting of Prime Minister Erdogan to Berlin,'' it was added.
(Öª-AÖ) 03.09.2003