ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Monday that he had called on German authorities to take the steps necessary for the improvement of bilateral relations following Sunday's parliamentary election. The Turkish official added that the relations between the two states could be improved.
"The election has ended. I have congratulated [the leader of the CDU party Angela] Merkel on her victory, despite the fact that she has lost some votes. Anti-Turkish sentiments have inflicted damage — in Germany and in France they have strengthened the positions of far-right parties. Now it is necessary to stop pre-election declamation and focus on the restoration of Turkish-German relations," Yildirim said, as quoted by the NTV broadcaster.
Meanwhile, Germany held a general election on Sunday. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance scored 33 percent of votes. By the way, relations between Berlin and Ankara deteriorated following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. Ankara has accused Berlin of providing asylum for coup plotters, while Berlin has strongly criticized the detention of German journalists and human rights activists in Turkey
