ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister & Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Ali Babacan, commenting on the German TV series "Tatort" in which defamatory expressions were used regarding Alevi citizens, said Monday that it should be taken into consideration whether such broadcasts could be evaluated within the framework of freedom of broadcast and NGOs should react in a calm and determined way to prevent the repetition of similar broadcasts.
In his reply to a question motion on the issue, Babacan said Turkish MFA stated on January 4th that it expected the responsible parties to apologize to Alevi citizens.
Freedoms of faith, opinion, expression and broadcast were protected legally in Germany, Babacan said and added that the proper functioning of such democratic systems depended on how the members of the society respected each other`s rights, freedoms and cultures.
"Intercultural dialogue and tolerance are of vital importance in a country like Germany, nearly 18 percent of whose population comprise of immigrants," Babacan said.