German reporter returns to Turkey after Ankara renews credentials

A German newspaper said on Monday its longtime Turkey correspondent was having his media accreditation restored, nearly a month after he had to leave the country because authorities refused to renew it. The Berlin-based Tagesspiegel said that Thomas Seibert was back in Istanbul. The Turkish government’s information office had said he would receive the necessary press credentials. The newspaper quoted Seibert as saying he was “glad that all misunderstandings have been cleared up.” Seibert had worked for Tagesspiegel in Turkey since 1997. He and the head of German public broadcaster ZDF’s Istanbul studio, Joerg Brase, had their accreditation renewal applications turned down. Both men left Turkey on March 10. The German government protested to Turkish authorities. Brase’s media credentials were quickly extended and he returned to Turkey, AP said.