German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Tuesday's interview with the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper said that economic pressure on Turkey has brought certain results, referring to the ongoing tensions between the two states.
"Economic pressure works. In fact, Ankara actually gave the names of 680 German companies ... We have responded and warned German companies against investing in Turkey. And what happened? There was a broad debate in Turkish society. And Erdogan attributed the company list solely to a misunderstanding," Gabriel said.
Commenting on Berlin's travel warnings, Gabriel noted that though the measure might affect small businesses, Germany should "protect its people."
"Our travel notes are, certainly, affecting the wrong ones: the small hotel owners, the restaurant owners and waiters in western Turkey, who are oriented toward Europe and Germany. Nevertheless, we must protect our citizens. We can not allow Turkish president Erdogan to simply imprison German citizens," Gabriel told the newspaper.
In July, Ankara issued a black list of nearly 700 German individuals and companies over their alleged support for terrorism. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later denied the existence of the black list, while the country's Foreign Ministry referred the list to "misunderstanding." In response to these measures, Gabriel vowed to review Berlin's policy toward Ankara, targeting economic and investment programs, while the Foreign Ministry tightened recommendations for German nationals seeking to visit Turkey.
