German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Aug. 29 that the relationship between Berlin and Ankara was at “a very complicated phase.” Hurriyet reports.
Merkel said Germany would like better relations with Turkey but added that Ankara had to take steps regarding fulfillment of the principles of the rule of law.
She also urged Ankara to release jailed German citizens in the country, calling their imprisonment “unjustified.”
Referring to German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yücel and several others by name, Merkel told reporters that Germany’s “demand is very clear: Those people who are in prison should be freed.”
The German chancellor also stated that she “does not believe that Berlin will be able to talk about updating the Customs Union with Turkey” in the coming months.