German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas has said Turkey should release American pastor Andrew Brunson, who is currently under house arrest, and German citizens who are under arrest in Turkey on political charges to fix the economy, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.
Maas elaborated at a press conference on Monday on German worries concerning the fall of the Turkish lira against the dollar since Turkey is an important country for the EU economy.
Politically correct decisions would open the gates to a solution for the Turkish economy, he argued.
“We have similar cases [to that of Brunson]. So it would be desirable if the Turkish government were to seek a solution not just with the US but also with us,” Maas stated.
The political crisis between the US and Turkey has led to economic sanctions, and the Turkish lira has lost more than 40 percent of its value against the dollar since the beginning of this year. The lira has also suffered similar losses against the euro in the same period.
Germany’s economy minister has criticized additional tariffs imposed on Turkey by the US on Sunday, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday that Germany wants to see economic prosperity in Turkey.