Erdogan get mixed reception in Cologne on last day of bridge-building trip.
ADVERTISEMENTThere were smiles and blue skies on Saturday (September 29) as the leaders of Turkey and Germany met for breakast in Berlin.
It's the last day of President Erdogan's controversial visit to Germany - which is aimed at repairing relations beteen the NATO allies. They've fallen out over issues including human rights, press freedom and Turkey's accession to the EU.
Erdogan then headed for Cologne to open a giant new mosque. The city is home to the largest Turkish population outside Turkey.
Police cited security reasons to block a 25,000-strong crowd from gathering in front of the mosque, but plenty of supporters turned out nearby to see their president.
Hundreds of anti-Erdogan protesters - many of them Kurdish - also made their voices heard, condemning both Erdogan's policies and the German government's decision to welcome him to the country.
The dueling protests reflect the divisiveness of a visitor hailed as a hero by some German Turks and reviled as an autocrat by others.