German Foreign Ministry Summons Turkish Ambassador Over Criticism of Merkel

Merkel said she was "appalled" by response to protests in Turkey

(Reuters)—Germany's foreign ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador on Friday to complain about a government minister who criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for saying she was "appalled" by the crackdown on protesters in Turkey.

Turkey's minister for relations with the European Union, Egemen Bagis, accused Merkel on Thursday of blocking a new chapter in talks on Turkey's accession to the EU because she was "looking for domestic political material for her elections".