Turkish Foreign Minister Says He Will Speak In Germany Despite Venue Closure

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (file photo)

Turkey's foreign minister says he will go ahead with a planned rally with Turkish voters in Germany on March 7 despite local authorities' closure of the venue.

"I will go. Nobody can stop me," Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Hurriyet daily after a municipal spokeswoman in Hamburg said the center the minister was scheduled to speak at had been closed down because it lacked a fire-detection system.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Berlin on March 5 of "Nazi" actions after authorities in Germany withdrew permission for three other gatherings in support of his plans to amend Turkey's constitution in order to obtain greater powers.

The proposals go to a referendum in April.

Erdogan needs strong support from within Germany's Turkish community of 1.5 million voters to ensure passage of the reform.

The Turkish government says the proposed changes would bring stability while opponents fear it would hugely boost Erdogan's powers and drag Turkey into one-man rule.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP