Visa policy harms German economy, minister says

Germany's recent visa policy change in regards to issuing of visas to Turkish citizens is hurting the German economy, according to German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. "Our visa policy has gone too far already," said Westerwelle, adding that the bureaucracy had begun damaging the economy. The minister made the comments at Cologne's Anuga Fair, a leading food fair for the retail trade, food service and catering industries that drew the participation of 146 Turkish firms. The German minister, trying to explain how serious the visa issue had become, related the story of the consular civil servant who once asked a prince from the royal family of a Middle East country whether he had enough money to return from Germany. Strict restrictions have recently been applied to the release of visas from Turkey to Germany.