Germany: A Turkish chancellor 'no longer an utopia', says minister

Germany: A Turkish chancellor 'no longer an utopia', says minister

"Anybody can make it." the German integration minister Maria Böhmer, doesn't rule out that Germany will soon be led by a Turkish-origin chancellor.

This is "no longer a utopia," the CDU politician told Focus-Interview. Gradually there's more and more acceptance of immigrants in higher office. "The message is: anybody can make it to the top - regardless of their origins."

The minister admitted that on the topics of integration and immigration there's been serious failures for many years. "The issue of integration played no role in Germany for a long time, not even in my party, the CDU. Others believed that multiculturalism would somehow take care of itself. That is not the case," Böhmer told FOCUS.

She criticized the fact that foreign academic and professional qualifications aren't always recognized in Germany. "That is no longer acceptable," she says, and added that it caused an unparalleled waste of resources. "On the one hand we complain of a lack of doctors in rural areas. On the other hand, senior physicians who have to us from the Ukraine, as classified as nursing assistants. We can no longer afford that. It also means disregarding people, their skils and their abilities."

The minister was indignant about workplaces who prefer Germans over immigrants with the same qualifications. "When somebody has no opportunities just because of their name or origin, that is discrimination. Such a thing should not happen," said Böhmer. She pointed to the importance of immigrants to the German economy. "We urgently need skilled workers, to cope with the demographic change and to persist in the competition for the best minds. Even now, some training and job places can't be filled."


This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: FOCUS (German), h/t Politically Incorrect

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