Turkey Wants Better Relations With Germany, Hopes for More Efforts by Berlin

Turkey wants to normalize relations with Germany but insists that the improvement of ties requires efforts from both parties, Turkish Ambassador to Germany Ali Kemal Aydin said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The ambassador said that both sides had to show more solidarity to overcome crisis in bilateral relations.

“The Turkish side wants normalization. But it is obvious that this cannot be achieved only by the efforts of one side,” Aydin said during a visit to a Turkish business association in Berlin, as quoted by the Anadolu news agency.

The relations between Turkey and Germany as well as other EU states deteriorated after the last year attempted coup in Turkey, which resulted in mass arrests of those who allegedly had links to the plotters.

Ankara-Berlin relations even more deteriorated this year after the German decision to ban Turkish pre-referendum rallies on its soil as well as Ankara's refusal to let lawmakers from Berlin visit the Incirlik air base, where German troops are stationed.