President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called on Turks in Germany to not vote for “enemies of Turkey,” claiming that the main reason for the recent crisis between Ankara and Berlin is the “race for votes” ahead of the Sept. 24 general elections in Germany.

“Right now in Germany the [Social Democrats] SPD and the [Christian Democrats] CDU are saying, ‘We can get many votes if we batter Turkey.’ I am telling all my citizens in Germany to never support those parties. Do not support the CDU, the SPD or the Greens. They are all the enemies of Turkey,” Erdoğan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

“Give necessary support to political parties that do not engage in enmity against Turkey. It is not important whether they are the first or the second party. In a way this is a struggle of honor for all my citizens living in Germany,” he added.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com