BERLIN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- German Minister of Finance Wolfang Schaeuble has drawn parallels between contemporary Turkey and government practices in the former state of East Germany (GDR) on Friday.
"Turkey is arresting people arbitrarily and no longer upholds even minimal standards of diplomatic conduct," Schaeuble told Bild newspaper. The situation reminded him of East Germany which was why Berlin could no longer guarantee the safety of German tourists in Turkey, the report said.
"If Turkey does not stop playing these games -- as further exemplified by the removal of the visitation rights of German parliamentarians at Konya NATO base in Turkey -- we must tell our people: you are travelling at your own risk," Schaeuble said.
After a year of deeply fraught relations between Berlin and Ankara, tensions between the two NATO partners reached boiling point on Tuesday after the Turkish arrest of German human rights activist Peter Steudtner.
The announcement that Steudtner had been placed in police custody sparked outrage in German political circles. The head of the SPD parliamentary faction, Thomas Opperman, complained that Erdogan had inaugurated a "new stage of escalation in German-Turkish relations."
On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel cancelled his holiday to tighten national safety recommendations for travel to Turkey in response to the development. The Foreign Office now officially urges Germans in Turkey to "exercise heightened caution" when in the country.
Gabriel also delivered a strongly-worded speech in which he warned Turkey that Germany would hold talks with the European Union (EU) to re-evaluate financial aid the country currently receives as an accession candidate. He demanded the immediate release of nine German citizens currently in Turkish police custody.
Turkey is still in official talks to join the EU although new negotiating chapters have not been opened in years. Gabriel questioned whether negotiations over Turkey's customs union with the EU could be completed in the current political climate.
The German foreign minister also suggested that Germany would re-examine forms of national economic aid to Turkey, such as Hermes export credit guarantees which are used to minimize the risk of international business for German entrepreneurs.
Alongside Schaeuble, several senior German politicians expressed support for Gabriel's speech and the resulting toughening of Berlin's stance towards Ankara.
Speaking to the Bild newspaper as well, German Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas cautioned German tourists that those "who travel to Turkey, are unfortunately not spending their holiday in a state under the rule of law."
According to Maas, Turkey had to realize that its behavior was inacceptable and that the German Federal Government was united and determined in action.
Peter Altmaier, Chief of Staff of the German Chancellery, echoed these concerns, describing his government's measures as "absolutely necessary." Altmaier argued that the German government had a responsibility to ensure to safety of its citizens and firms. He did not rule out additional measures.
"We will continuously assess whether further action is needed, " Altmaier told the news channel ZDF.
According to her press speaker Steffen Seibert, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also believes that a reorientation of German policy was "necessary and unavoidable."
Turkey lashed back at the front of official German criticism, describing Berlin's stance as inappropriate and inacceptable. Ibrahim Kalin, president Erdogan's speaker, told the press that Gabriel's statement was motivated by domestic politics.
A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused its German counterpart of seeking to benefit from hostility towards Turkey and Turks.
According to the Bild newspaper, the German government has frozen existing arms export projects between Germany and Turkey as a preliminary measure. While details remaining unclear, such a move would mark an unprecedented step for defense relations between allied NATO partners.
Turkish-German relations have been severely strained since a military coup failed to unseat president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016.
Ankara has rejected Berlin's criticisms that it engaged in an excessive crackdown on political opponents in response to the coup and is resentful towards its German NATO partner for allegedly granting asylum to Turkish revolutionaries.
Figures released on Friday by German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees suggest that the number of Turkish asylum seekers in Germany has risen dramatically since July 2016.
There is also a long-standing spat between Berlin and Ankara over attempts to prevent Turkish politicians from holding campaign rallies in Europe. Hoping to win support amongst Turkish migrant communities for a controversial constitutional referendum which ultimately passed in April 2017, Erdogan and members of his AKP party ran up against heavy opposition in several European capitals.
Turkey retaliated by banning German parliamentarians from visiting their country's armed forces stationed at the Turkish military base of Incirlik and Konya from where they were participating in the international military effort against the so-called Islamic State.
In June, German lawmakers voted to transfer troops from Turkey to a new base in Jordan after several attempts to defuse the diplomatic crisis failed.
