Erdogan hopes to address Turkish community in Cologne or Berlin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to speak before members of the Turkish-German community in Cologne or Berlin during his upcoming visit to Germany, a source familiar with the visit told journalists.

Turkish authorities have requested suitable locations in Cologne for an event on 29 September and officials were also looking into possible locations in Berlin, the source said on Thursday.

Turkish political rallies in Germany remain a hot topic since Germany's top court barred Erdogan from addressing 40,000 of his supporters at a Cologne rally via live video link in 2016.

Organisers of the visit are therefore seeking to turn the event into a discussion between German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and representatives from the Turkish community in Germany.

The German presidency had announced earlier in August that Erdogan would meet with both Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel during a state visit to Germany on 28 and 29 September. Erdogan is set to be received by Steinmeier with military honours before taking part in a banquet on the evening of 28 September.

Relations between Berlin and Ankara have been worsening since the German parliament recognised the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans as genocide in 2016.

Nevertheless, due to its size, geography and military strength, as well as its role in alleviating the effects of the refugee crisis on Europe, Turkey is of enormous strategic importance to Berlin.    (dpa)