Turkey summons German diplomat over Cologne rally

Ankara, Aug 1 (IANS) Turkey on Monday summoned the country's Ambassador to Germany, a day after Berlin prevented President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing a rally via video link in Cologne.

Tens of thousands of Turks living in Germany on Sunday gathered in Cologne to condemn the July 15 coup attempt, Xinhua news agency reported.

Germany's Federal Constitution Court had upheld a ban on Erdogan broadcasting a message to his supporters at the rally.

German police said the measure was taken for "security reasons", while a local court agreed on the decision and issued the ruling.

"This is a double-standard by German judicial authority," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said, describing the move as a "ban on the freedom of expression".

Turkey demands that Germany extradite supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who Ankara accused of masterminding the failed coup.

This is the second major incident marring bilateral relations in two months.

On June 2, Turkey recalled its mission after the German parliament adopted a resolution recognising the 1915 killing of Armenians as "genocide".