Özdemir opposes the accession of Turkey to the European Union under President Erdogan.
When Özdemir criticised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey in a speech he delivered in Cologne in May 2014, Erdoğan personally targeted Özdemir during one of his party's group meetings in the parliament declaring him "a so-called Turk" and described his criticisms as "very ugly."
Upon Erdoğan's attacks, the Turkish ambassador in Berlin, Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu, was summoned to the German Foreign Office and was informed about Germany's unease on the prime minister's remarks.

Soon after, Özdemir told Spiegel Online it would be "irresponsible" for German intelligence services not to target Turkey given its location as a transit country for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants from Europe.

Özdemir has also been critical of Turkey's mass arrests and crackdown on dissent following a failed coup attempt in July 2016.
He was put under police protection at the 2018 Munich Security Conference after meeting Turkey's delegation in his hotel.

Özdemir condemned the Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds from the enclave of Afrin.
After meeting with Turkish officials in Munich, Özdemir received special police protection after being called a "terrorist" and receiving various other threats from the Turkish delegation.
Özdemir opposes the accession of Turkey to the European Union under President Erdogan. When Özdemir criticised Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey in a speech he delivered in Cologne in May 2014, Erdoğan personally targeted Özdemir during one of his party's group meetings in the parliament declaring him "a so-called Turk" and described his criticisms as "very ugly." Upon Erdoğan's attacks, the Turkish ambassador in Berlin, Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu, was summoned to the German Foreign Office and was informed about Germany's unease on the prime minister's remarks.
Soon after, Özdemir told Spiegel Online it would be "irresponsible" for German intelligence services not to target Turkey given its location as a transit country for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants from Europe.
Özdemir has also been critical of Turkey's mass arrests and crackdown on dissent following a failed coup attempt in July 2016. He was put under police protection at the 2018 Munich Security Conference after meeting Turkey's delegation in his hotel.
Özdemir condemned the Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds from the enclave of Afrin. After meeting with Turkish officials in Munich, Özdemir received special police protection after being called a "terrorist" and receiving various other threats from the Turkish delegation.
Cem Özdemir