COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up an ill-tempered visit to Germany on Saturday with a visit to Cologne, where a security lockdown kept supporters and protesters away from a ceremony to open the country’s largest mosque. Police snipers were stationed on rooftops and the area was cordoned off after the city authorities canceled plans for up to 25,000 people to be allowed to gather outside the mosque, built by an Islamic religious organization that has close ties to the Turkish state. Germany had invited Erdogan for the three-day state visit in an attempt to mend ties hit by a crackdown on his opponents following a failed coup in 2016, hoping to secure the release of several of its citizens who remain in detention. Chancellor Angela Merkel said after meeting Erdogan on Friday that “deep divisions” remain. On Saturday in Cologne, the Turkish leader sought to strike a conciliatory note. “In a critical period, we have made a fruitful, successful visit to Germany,” he told guests at the opening of the Central Mosque. “I stressed that we need to put aside our differences and focus on our common interests.” Yet he also called on Germany to crack down on Kurdish separatists, and complained that soccer star Mesut Ozil had been hounded out of the German national team after Germany’s World Cup exit because of his Turkish roots. “This racism has to end,” said Erdogan. Slideshow ( 16 images ) At a banquet hosted by President Frank Walter Steinmeier on Friday night the Turkish leader, departing from his prepared remarks, accused Germany of harboring terrorists, according to those present. “Hate speech against Germany,” ran the headline in Saturday’s edition of best-selling daily Bild. NEITHER BETTER NOR SIMPLER Senior Merkel allies said the visit had been premature, and ruled out providing any fresh economic aid to Turkey, which has suffered a slump in its currency following the imposition of trade sanctions by Washington. “The timing of this visit was wrong - it was far too early,” Norbert Roettgen, chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Funke newspaper group. “The Turkish-German relationship is neither better nor simpler after this visit.” In Cologne, a major center of the 3 million-strong Turkish community in Germany, a few hundred Erdogan supporters gathered behind security barriers waving flags and wearing scarves in Turkey’s red-and-white national colors. Slideshow ( 16 images ) “It’s a great honor for us,” said supporter Ali Tas of Erdogan’s visit. Around 1,000 protesters - including emigres and German left-wing activists - gathered on the opposite bank of the River Rhine after being denied permission to march through the city center. “I don’t like that the German government is in cahoots with a head of state who locks up people, imprisons journalists and (ethnically) cleanses his own country,” said a German man who gave his name as Goetz. Regional chief minister Armin Laschet did not attend the mosque opening, citing the importance of separating state and religion. Other local civic leaders complained that they were not invited to the event. Erdogan and Laschet met earlier at Cologne airport. They were to have held talks at a stately home, but the venue was switched after its owners objected.<doc-sep>But he used the occasion to urge Mrs Merkel to extradite critics of his government - known as Gulenists - that he sees as "terrorists".<doc-sep>John MacDougall, AFP | Demonstrators hold placards reading 'Stop German support for Erdogan' on the sidelines of a state visit by the Turkish president in Berlin, on September 28, 2018. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to open one of Europe’s largest mosques in Cologne on Saturday as he wraps up a controversial visit to Germany, with police deploying in force amid planned protests. Advertising Read more The inauguration will be the closing event of Erdogan’s three-day state visit, aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions. In talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, both leaders signalled their interest in a cautious rapprochement, but Merkel stressed that « deep differences » remained on civil rights and other issues. Some 10,000 Erdogan critics are expected to take to the streets in Cologne, protesting everything from Turkey’s record on human rights and press freedom to its treatment of minority Kurds. Erdogan supporters meanwhile will gather at the Cologne Central Mosque, an imposing dome-shaped building next to the shadowy, Turkish-controlled Ditib organisation. Cologne police said they were bracing for one of their biggest ever deployments, and that a maximum of 5,000 people would be allowed to attend the opening ceremony for safety reasons. On its Facebook page, the Cologne branch of Ditib said it wanted the ceremony to be a "beautiful" example of both communities coming together, and asked attendees to refrain from bringing political banners or shouting slogans. Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the state’s premier Armin Laschet pulled out of attending the opening as criticism of Erdogan’s visit grew. The snubs echo the lukewarm welcome the Turkish leader received the previous evening at a state dinner hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which was boycotted by several opposition politicians. Merkel also skipped the banquet. Conciliatory noises Ties between the two countries soured after Berlin criticised Turkey’s crackdown on opponents following a failed 2016 coup, with tens of thousands arrested. Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released this year, but five remain behind bars. Merkel, whose country is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcome disagreements, particularly "in questions about a democratic, open society". But she also highlighted Germany’s interest in a "stable" Turkey, a country she relies on to help stem the flow of migrants arriving on European shores. Erdogan, seeking European allies as he spars with US President Donald Trump and the Turkish economy is in turmoil, likewise struck a conciliatory tone. But he said Germany was doing too little to deal with thousands of Kurdish militants on its soil. And he complained that Germany was refusing to extradite followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt. In a Berlin rally hours later, hundreds of mostly ethnic Kurdish demonstrators marched with banners that showed likenesses of Erdogan shooting a journalist and devouring a peace dove. Mosque controversy Erdogan’s visit on Saturday takes him to North Rhine-Westphalia state, which is home to significant numbers of ethnic Turks, many who moved to Germany as so-called “guest workers” from the 1960s. Several anti-Erdogan demos are planned in Cologne on Saturday, including one under the banner “Erdogan Not Welcome”. They are expected to gather a few kilometres (miles) away from the neighbourhood of the mosque. The giant Cologne Central Mosque opened its doors in 2017 after eight years of construction and budget overruns. It can house more than a thousand worshippers. The sheer size of the building, designed to resemble a flower bud opening, and its two towering minarets has disgruntled some locals, triggering occasional protests. The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (Ditib) that commissioned the glass and cement structure is itself not without controversy. The group runs hundreds of mosques across Germany, and its imams are paid by the Turkish state. Known for its close ties to Ankara, it has increasingly come under scrutiny with some of its members suspected of spying on Turkish dissidents living in Germany. German media recently reported that the domestic intelligence service was considering putting Ditib under surveillance. (AFP) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrapped up a three-day trip to Germany on Saturday saying the controversial visit had been "extremely successful." "I believe our meetings for two days have cemented a long-established Turkish-German friendship," he said of the visit that aimed to mend ties with Berlin after two years of tension. He added that Turkey and Germany "need to focus on joint interests, leaving aside some recent differences of opinion." Read more: Opinion: Recep Tayyip Erdogan's pompous state visit to Germany Erdogan traveled Saturday to the western city of Cologne for the final leg of his visit, where he inaugurated one of Europe's biggest mosques. The new mosque is run by DITIB, a Turkish-Germanic Islamic organization funded by Ankara. Read more: Erdogan in Germany: What you need to know about DITIB mosque association "In a critical period, we have made a fruitful, successful visit to Germany," Erdogan told guests at the opening of the Central Mosque. "I stressed that we need to put aside our differences and focus on our common interests." The Turkish president called on Germany to take a hard line against Kurdish separatists. At a state dinner Friday with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Erdogan alluded to the "hundreds, thousands," of terrorists living in Germany. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as the United States and the European Union. Erdogan also said soccer star Mesut Özil was forced to retire from the German national team after Germany's World Cup exit because of his Turkish roots. "This racism has to end," he said, adding that Germany should reinstate dual citizenship. Supporters, opponents come face to face Hundreds of people, including several from the city's Kurdish community, protested Erdogan's visit to the city, citing the deteriorating human rights situation in Turkey. A number of Erdogan supporters lined the street leading up to the mosque to greet the Turkish leader. DW's William Glucroft and Carla Bleiker were on the ground in Cologne to cover events surrounding Erdogan's visit to the city and mosque. Carla Bleiker tweeted a picture of Erdogan supporters and opponents facing each other a few meters away from the mosque with police standing in between: Security in Cologne has been stepped up in view of the protests. Police snipers were stationed on rooftops and the area around the mosque was cordoned off. Authorities on Friday canceled an open-air event outside the mosque, citing security concerns. Some 25,000 people had signed up for the event, a Facebook page set up by the organizers showed. Erdogan met the premier of the western state of North-Rhine Westphalia, Armin Laschet, moments after he landed in Cologne. Laschet and Cologne mayor Henriette Reker did not attend the opening ceremony of the mosque. ap/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters) Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.<doc-sep>
Cologne (Germany) (AFP) - Thousands of demonstrators hit the streets of Cologne Saturday as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened one of Europe's largest mosques at the end of his visit to Germany, with police out in force to manage rival rallies. The inauguration capped a controversial three-day state visit aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions. During his stay in Berlin, Erdogan met twice with Angela Merkel for talks, with both leaders signalling their interest in a cautious rapprochement. But the German chancellor stressed that "deep differences" remained on civil rights and other issues. Before returning home, Erdogan travelled to the western city of Cologne where several thousand critics turned out to protest everything from Turkey's record on human rights and press freedom to its treatment of minority Kurds. At one of the rallies on the bank of the Rhine, demonstrators waved banners reading: "Erdogan not welcome". Cansu, a 30-year-old student of Turkish origin, came from Switzerland to join the protest. "I want to be the voice of people who can't take to the streets in Turkey. Because they have been arrested, killed or otherwise suppressed," she told AFP. "Erdogan thinks anything that differs from his opinion is terrorism." - Thousands of supporters - Erdogan supporters meanwhile gathered near the Cologne Central Mosque, an imposing dome-shaped building commissioned by the shadowy, Turkish-controlled Ditib organisation. Cologne police cordoned off a large area around the mosque for safety reasons, but thousands of Erdogan supporters spilled into the side streets, hoping for a glimpse of the Turkish leader. Many waved Turkey's red and white flag or held up pictures of Erdogan, with crowds cheerfully breaking into regular chants of the president's name or shouting "Who is the greatest? Turkey". "Erdogan is very popular because he has done a lot for his people," said Yusuf Simsek, 42, a computer technician with Turkish roots. Story continues Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the state's premier Armin Laschet declined to attend the mosque ceremony. The snubs echoed the lukewarm welcome the Turkish leader received at a state dinner on Friday evening hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which several opposition politicians boycotted. Merkel also skipped the banquet. - Conciliatory noises - Ties between the two NATO countries soured after Berlin criticised Ankara's crackdown on opponents following a failed 2016 coup, which saw tens of thousands arrested. Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released this year, but five remain behind bars. Merkel, whose country is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcome disagreements. But she also highlighted Germany's interest in a "stable" Turkey, which she relies on to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe. Erdogan, seeking international allies as he spars with US President Donald Trump and the Turkish economy is in turmoil, likewise struck a conciliatory tone. In his speech at the mosque inauguration, he said his visit to Germany had been "successful" and strengthened German-Turkish ties at "a critical period". But he again lashed Germany for not taking stronger action against "terrorists" like supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt. He also said he wished Germans had shown more support for Turkish-origin footballer Mesut Ozil, who recently quit the Germany team over perceived racism and discrimination. - Mosque controversy - Cologne is located in North Rhine-Westphalia state which is home to significant numbers of ethnic Turks, many of whom moved to Germany as so-called "guest workers" from the 1960s. The giant Cologne Central Mosque opened its doors in 2017 after eight years of construction and budget overruns, but had yet to be formally inaugurated. The size of the building, designed to resemble a flower bud opening, and its two towering minarets has left some locals disgruntled, triggering occasional protests. The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (Ditib) that commissioned the glass and cement structure is itself not without controversy. The group runs hundreds of mosques across Germany with imams paid by the Turkish state. Known for its close ties to Ankara, it has increasingly come under scrutiny with some of its members suspected of spying on Turkish dissidents living in Germany.