condemns

Iran condemns Germany’s ban on Hezbollah activity

German special police guards the entrance of the El-Irschad (Al-Iraschad) centre in Berlin, Germany, April 30, 2020, after Germany banned Iran-backed Hezbollah on its soil and designated it a terrorist organisation [Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters]
Iran has condemned Berlin’s ban of Hezbollah activity in Germany and its designation of the Iranian-backed Lebanese group as a terrorist organisation, saying the move serves US and Israeli interests, Iranian state media reported on Friday.
German police on Thursday raided mosque associations alleged to be close to Hezbollah and banned all the group’s activity on its soil after designating it a terrorist organisation, a much-anticipated step long urged by Israel and the United States.
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“It appears that certain countries in Europe are adopting their stances without considering the realities in the West Asia region and by paying regard only to the objectives of the propaganda machine of the Zionist regime and the confused US regime,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said in a statement late on Thursday.
He criticised the German government for accusing Hezbollah “of promoting armed struggle with terrorist means”.
He said the group was “an official and legitimate” member of the Lebanese government and Parliament and a force of “political stability”.
According to the German Ministry of the Interior, the ban means Hezbollah symbols cannot be shown at gatherings and in publications or in the media and Hezbollah assets can be seized.
Because it is a foreign organisation, it is not possible to ban and dissolve it, the ministry said in a statement.
Israel, which with the US had been pushing Germany to ban the group, praised the move. Israel urged other European Union countries to take similar action.
The EU classifies Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist group, but not its political wing. The United Kingdom introduced legislation in February of last year, before it left the EU, that classified Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.

SOURCE:
Reuters news agency

condemns

Turkey condemns Biden’s criticism of ‘autocrat’ Erdogan |NationalTribune.com

Turkey has condemned remarks made by US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticising President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and calling for support for the Turkish leader’s opponents.
Biden made the comments in an interview filmed by the New York Times in December, but a video of the remarks only appeared on Saturday before going viral on social media.
Asked about Erdogan, Biden described the Turkish president as an “autocrat”, criticised his policy towards the Kurds, and advocated supporting the Turkish opposition.
“What I think we should be doing is taking a very different approach to him now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership,” Biden said.
“He has to pay a price,” Biden said at the time, adding that Washington should embolden Turkish opposition leaders “to be able to take on and defeat Erdogan. Not by a coup, not by a coup, but by the electoral process.”
The comments did not provoke much reaction when they were published in January, but the video of the interview triggered an angry response from Turkey.
“The analysis of Turkey by @JoeBiden is based on pure ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy,” Erdogan’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin tweeted.

The analysis of Turkey by @JoeBiden is based on pure ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy. The days of ordering Turkey around are over. But if you still think you can try, be our guest. You will pay the price.
— Ibrahim Kalin (@ikalin1) August 16, 2020

“The days of ordering Turkey around are over. But if you still think you can try, be our guest. You will pay the price.”
Erdogan’s communications director Fahrettin Altun said the comments “reflect games and an interventionist approach towards Turkey” and are inconsistent with current diplomatic relations.
“Nobody can attack our nation’s will and democracy or question the legitimacy of our President, who was elected by popular vote,” Altun said on Twitter.
“We believe that these unbecoming statements which have no place in diplomacy by a presidential candidate from our NATO ally, the United States, are unacceptable to the current administration too,” he added.
Biden’s statements also embarrassed Erdogan’s opponents, who the Turkish government regularly accuses of being in the pay of foreign powers.
Several officials of the main opposition CHP party quickly distanced themselves from Biden’s remarks, calling for “respect for the sovereignty of Turkey”.
Erdogan has worked to cultivate a personal relationship with current US President Donald Trump – who is running for re-election in November this year – and often lashes out at Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama.
Biden – who is expected to be Trump’s opponent in the upcoming election – was Obama’s vice president.
Relations between Ankara and Washington were strained during Obama’s second term, particularly because of disagreements over Syria and growing international criticism over freedoms and rights in Turkey.
While Trump and Erdogan speak regularly, diplomatic relations have been strained over Ankara’s purchase of Russian air defences, policy in Syria and over US charges against a Turkish state bank for allegedly helping Iran evade sanctions.
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