Turkey's Foreign Ministry has rejected criticism by European foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini as "unacceptable," saying the European Union does not understand Ankara's sensitivities in the fight against terrorism.
The Foreign Ministry in Ankara said the EU had lost credibility with the Turkish people concerning the fight against terrorism.
Earlier on November 8, Mogherini strongly criticized Turkey's post-coup crackdown, calling for Ankara "to safeguard its parliamentary democracy, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and the right of everyone to a fair trial."
Mogherini described a crackdown on Turkish media and opposition politicians since a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July as "extremely worrying."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on November 8 accused Germany of allowing two extremist militant groups from Turkey to operate with impunity on German soil -- the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C).
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier rejected Cavusoglu's claim, saying both the PKK and the DHKP-C were banned and "criminally prosecuted" in Germany as "terrorist groups."