Majority of Turkish people believes reconciliation with Germany necessary

A recent survey has found that the majority of Turkish people think reconciliation with Germany was a necessity, while many considered Berlin to be the main obstacle blocking Turkey's European Union membership bid.

The survey, conducted by the Turkish European Foundation for Education and Scientific Studies (TAVAK), involved 1,282 participants from different parts of Turkey.

It found that around 67.2 percent of Turks thought it was necessary to fix relations with Germany and around 54.2 percent thought Germany was adversely affecting Turkey's EU accession bid. Germany was followed by France with 19.2 percent votes, the lowest in almost seven years.

Relations between Ankara and Berlin have been on a downward spiral for a while now. It hit a new low in Germany's run-up to the recent parliamentary elections on Sept. 24.

Germany's rhetoric against Turkey during the election campaigns drew sharp criticism from Ankara, which came to question the very worth of the relations.

Despite stern warnings from Ankara, many FETÖ fugitives were able to take asylum in Germany. More than 700 Gülenist public servants and high-ranking military officers are estimated to have sought asylum in the country since the coup attempt.

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman İbrahim Kalın said yesterday there have been positive steps from the German side regarding the fight against the PKK and FETÖ but more was needed.

"As a result of the contacts we have had with German authorities recently, we see some indications that Germany is starting to act more seriously and responsibly against the PKK and FETÖ. Let us say that we welcome it, but we don't think this is enough," Kalın said.