Merkel wishes good ties with Turkey, tells Ankara to stop Nazi comparison

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday stressed her interest for a good relationship with Turkey, but requesting Ankara stop calling her country Nazi. (Photo: Angela Merkel/Facebook)

BERLIN—German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday stressed her interest for a good relationship with Turkey, but requesting Ankara stop calling her country Nazi.

Speaking at the Bundestag, lower house of the German parliament, Merkel said despite “deep and serious disagreement,”she would like a good Germany-Turkey relationship.

“We want to do everything we can to make sure that possible internal Turkish conflicts are not carried over into this life (in Germany) together,” Merkel said.

Merkel on Thursday reiterated that she did like Turkey’s rhetoric, saying the comparison “needs no comments and so out of place”, “in no case allowed”.

“These comparisons of Germany with Nazism must stop. They are unsuitable of the close ties between Germany and Turkey and of our peoples,” Merkel said.

On Wednesday, Turkey and Germany’s foreign ministers had a “tough” but “friendly” meeting, with the two sides agreeing to pursue greater normalcy, according to Deutche Presse Agentur.