BERLIN (Sputnik) — Relations between Berlin and Ankara became strained after Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel was arrested in Istanbul in February over alleged links to a terrorist organization and terrorist propaganda.
"I find the rhetorical development very concerning," Schaeuble said, noting that Berlin was not interested in the escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Further deterioration of the situation was triggered after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared on Sunday the German authorities with Nazis for banning Ankara’s rallies supporting the Turkish constitutional reform in Germany.
On Monday, the Hamburg authorities canceled the appearance of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu over fire safety issues scheduled for Tuesday at a pre-referendum campaign rally, while on March 2 the authorities of the city of Gaggenau banned a pre-referendum rally of Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.
