Berlin Hopes Ankara to End Comparisons of Modern Germany With Nazis

BERLIN (Sputnik) — Earlier in March, Ankara accused Berlin of blocking several rallies across Germany aimed at promoting support for Turkey's referendum among Turkish community. Commenting on the restrictions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Germany's activities were "no different to those of the Nazi period."

"We hope that our clear signals not to use comparisons with the Nazi epoch [while speaking about Germany] have been heard in Turkey," ministerial spokesman Sebastian Fischer told reporters.

The German authorities have already criticized Erdogan's remarks. The office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that his statements were "uncalled-for and unjustifiable" and German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that the comparison was "absurd."

The German-Turkish relations are currently experiencing a serious slump. Earlier this week, 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 last week the authorities of the city of Gaggenau banned a pre-referendum rally of Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.

Erdogan has been seeking Turkish expats' support of a constitutional change that will give him greater powers. The referendum on the amendment is scheduled for April 16.