Turkey summons German diplomat over Erdogan speech ban

ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Monday summoned Germany's top diplomat in Ankara over a court ruling blocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a weekend rally in Cologne.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Charge d'Affaires Robert Dolger was warned about Turkey's unease and disappointment regarding the ban on Erdogan's video call.

The Foreign Ministry also called Germany's attitude "unacceptable."

In the current absence of Ambassador Martin Erdmann, Dolger is the top German diplomat in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Germany's highest court late Saturday upheld a ruling that banned Erdogan from addressing the rally via video call to protest the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.

The decision by the Federal Constitutional Court came after Cologne police prevented rally organizers from inviting the president to give a speech to thousands of supporters who attended Sunday's rally.

Police said the measure was for "security reasons,” and a local court agreed.

* Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report from Ankara.