According to Reuters President Tayyip Erdogan has deepened a dispute with the EU by claiming Western agents are "roaming free" in Turkey. The Turkish President also mentioned that countries which threaten Turkey with any embargo should be prepared to face the consequnces, in what could be an oblique reference to Germany.
Three weeks ago Turkey arrested 10 rights activists, including one German. This was allegedly part of a wider security crackdown since last year's failed military coup. A Turkish prosecutor has accused the activists of links to the nerwork of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the apparent mastermind of the attempted coup earlier in 2016. The US-based Gulen denies involvement.
A crack-down on freedom of expression and media in Turkey has been a hallmark of the Erdogan Presidency since the 2016 uprising.
