BERLIN – Turkey’s foreign minister says it’s time for a “new beginning” in relations with Germany as he prepares to meet his German counterpart following over a year of spiraling tensions between the NATO allies.
Germany’s Sigmar Gabriel plans to host Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu Saturday in his home town, Goslar. Among other issues, a major irritant in relations has been Turkey’s jailing of several German or German-Turkish nationals, including a prominent journalist, on terror-related charges.
Cavusoglu wrote in an article for Germany’s Funke newspaper group Friday that “both sides have an interest in a new beginning” but that’s only possible “if we break the current crisis spiral in our relationship.”
He hinted at willingness for faster legal proceedings but also urged an end to the “standstill” in Turkey’s European Union accession negotiations.
