German government 'does not expect President Erdoğan's bodyguards at G-20'

The German government has said it does not expect to see Turkish security agents accused of attacking protesters in Washington during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the upcoming G-20 summit in Hamburg, which will be held on July 7 and July 8.

The melee outside the Turkish ambassador's residence during Erdoğan's visit to the United States in May overshadowed the trip and further strained U.S.-Turkish relations. 

Eleven people were hurt during the brawl. The U.S. authorities subsequently issued arrest warrants for 16 people, including 12 of Erdoğan's bodyguards, over the incident.    

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said on June 26 that he could "assume with a good conscience that these people who have been incriminated by the U.S. judicial authorities won't set foot on German soil in the foreseeable future, including during the G-20 summit."

Schaefer would not confirm or deny an unsourced report in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that his ministry made clear to Turkey the bodyguards would not be welcome.

According to the June 25 report by the daily, the German Foreign Ministry's warnings were repeated to Bundestag members in closed-door meetings.

The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said earlier that foreign powers "do not hold sovereign powers" while on official visits, saying "foreign colleagues only have the right to self-defense," the daily reported.

"On our streets, only the Hamburg police have a say - and no one else. This includes foreign security forces," Hamburg Senator Andy Grote told Die Welt.

According to a separate report in the local daily Hamburger Abendblatt, the Turkish Embassy sent the German Foreign Ministry a list of 50 people who were to...