Ankara plans full rights for Turks in Germany

The Turkish government has drafted a bill that would allow immigrants in Germany who have forfeited their Turkish nationality in favor of German citizenship to fully benefit from civic rights in Turkey, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag has said. Under the new bill, immigrants would be issued "blue cards" that would entitle them to all the rights of Turkish citizenship, Bozdag told Anatolia news agency. "The blue card holders will benefit from all rights that citizens of the Turkish Republic have. They will use the card just as a [Turkish] identity card at land registries, notaries, in all kind of purchases and sales, and in all public offices," Bozdag said. Ankara expects Germany to support the measure as it will make it easier for Turkish emigrants to opt for German citizenship, he said. "It will facilitate things for Germany. The integration process will speed up," he said, adding they would pass the bill through Parliament "in the shortest possible time." German law requires immigrants to abandon their Turkish citizenship if they wish to adopt German nationality, a condition that has discouraged many from making the move. In a related move, the government is also planning legal arrangements to enable Turks living abroad to vote in Turkey's elections at polling stations in the countries in which they reside, Bozdag told the news agency. Ankara will set up a special electoral registry for expatriate Turks and may open new consulates in countries with a considerable Turkish population to facilitate their voting, Bozdag said.