In letter to Berlin, President Sezer condemns new German immigration law
Güncelleme Tarihi:
While Hürriyet’s description of the new Germany Integration Policy as ‘racist’ is receiving wide coverage in the German press, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has sent a letter to German President Koehler in which he says that the law “infringes on human rights.”
Hürriyet has obtained a copy of the letter, dated 12th July 2007.
“Your Excellence,
Nearly 3 million Turks currently live in your country. These people immigrated to Germany on the German Federal Republic’s request. Their effort and determination throughout 40 years have made Germany what it is today. When we take a look, we can see that they have achieved important success in many areas in today’s Germany.
The new immigration law infringes one of the most fundamental human rights, the right to have a family.... We are saddened by the fact that this law will especially affect migrants from Turkey. As many experts working in this field in Germany have also stated, the restrictive amendments made to the existing immigration law ‘are against civil rights’. We cannot cause these people, assets to both Germany and Turkey, to relinquish their hopes about the future.
I wholly believe you will reconsider the matters that have rightly caused scepticism and uneasiness within the Turkish community. The Republic of Turkey is ready to make the necessary contribution in the case of a reconsidering of the law.
My deepest respect, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President“