Germany grants asylum to ‘several’ NATO troops wanted by Ankara over failed coup attempt
May 9, 2017
Germany has granted refugee status to Turkish nationals who were stationed at NATO bases and applied for asylum amid Ankara’s wide scale crackdown on disloyal officials after a failed coup in Turkey last July, according to local media reports. The approved asylum applications are likely to escalate the tension between Ankara and Berlin, already strained during preparations for the referendum.
In total, around 40 Turkish officers applied for asylum in Germany after the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, according to Der Spiegel magazine. They are viewed by Ankara as supporters of the military factions who tried to overthrow Erdogan. In late January, Turkey’s Defense Minister, Fikri Isik, said that “our expectation from Germany is that they will never accept the asylum requests.”