President of Turkey Recep Erdogan has canceled his participation in the summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Azerbaijan. Haber TV channel reported today, July 4.
According to the channel, President Recep Erdogan canceled his participation in the summit of the Organization of Turkic States because of his intention to personally attend the match between Turkey and the Netherlands in Germany, which will take place on July 6. The decision is also caused by a scandal surrounding Turkish national team player Merih Demiral, against whom the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has launched a disciplinary investigation. Erdogan plans to arrive in Germany in order to «boost the morale of Turkish citizens after this incident.»
The national team of Turkey defeated the Austrians with a score 2:1 in the 1/8 finals match of the European Championship. Demiral scored both goals — after the second goal scored, the player showed the gesture «bozkurt» — the sign of the «Gray Wolves», which is considered a gesture of nationalists. The symbol shown by the footballer is banned in a number of European countries. Turks themselves consider it a historical and cultural symbol.
An informal summit of the heads of the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States is to be held in the city of Shusha on July 6. Erdogan had earlier planned to personally participate in it.
