German FM urges normalization, better ties with Turkey

Hurriyet - Berlin and Ankara should return to "normal, better relations," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on March 7.

Despite the differences on both sides, "there is no alternative to dialogue because that is the only way we can return step by step to a normal and friendly relationship," Gabriel said.

"Neither Germany nor Turkey have an interest in causing lasting damage to bilateral ties,” Gabriel said.  

The two ministers met amid tensions between Ankara and Berlin over blocks on Turkish ministers' planned speeches in Germany ahead of Turkey's upcoming referendum on shifting to an executive presidential system.

"The talks were "tough," Gabriel said.

The German minister also said that Ankara’s comparisons to Nazis in any row is a "red line that cannot be crossed."

He was referring to remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said on March 5 "Germany, you have no relation whatsoever to democracy. You should know that your current actions are no different to those of the Nazi period.”