Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to hold a personal meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Bild reported, citing Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
“We need to maintain dialogue,” Cavusoglu said, as quoted by the Bild newspaper, adding that Erdogan has repeatedly held telephone conversations with Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
According to the newspaper, Erdogan is considering two options for a meeting with Merkel — inviting the chancellor to Ankara or visiting Germany himself.
Relations between Berlin and Ankara deteriorated following the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. Ankara has accused Berlin of providing asylum to the coup plotters, while Berlin has strongly criticized the detention of German journalists and human rights activists in Turkey. Another issue that has undermined bilateral relations was the cancelation of Erdogan’s campaign rallies in Germany ahead of a referendum that granted the Turkish president sweeping executive powers in March 2017.