Berlin and Ankara went into a diplomatic conflict after the German television broadcast a song which makes fun of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Because of the song, the German ambassador to Turkey, Martin Erdmann was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry where he was handed a protest note.
Ankara has asked the Ambassador Erdmann the broadcasts of the song to be halted, which according to the government in Ankara is an insult to the Turkish institutions and the state of Turkey.
The German language song, which still can be found on the website of the television ARD and on the social media, indirectly criticizes the cases of the arrest of journalists due to alleged political differences, the inappropriate way of preventing the protests and the methods by which Turkey deals with the Kurdish rebels. In the video for the song, the President Erdogan is shown falling from a horse.
The President of the German Federation of Journalists Frank Überall, regarding the reactions of Turkey said that "Erdogan apparently lost control" and added that "the persecution of journalists is a bitter reality in Turkey".
Turkey is the main partner of Germany and the European Union in the bid to stop the refugee crisis, for which Ankara would get EUR 6 billion in financial assistance, easing of the visa requirements for entry of the Turkish citizens in the EU and an acceleration of the negotiations for the EU membership.