by Monica Poling
Last updated: 10:24 PM ET, Sat September 9, 2017
The Turkish Foreign Ministry is warning its citizens to "be careful" when visiting or living in Germany.
"It is advised for our citizens in Germany or planning to visit this country to be even-tempered, keep themselves out of political discussions and absent themselves from rallies held by terrorist groups ahead of the elections," said the Turkish foreign ministry according to a report in Al Jazeera.
The warning comes as Germany prepares to hold its federal elections on September 24.
Turkish officials are accusing German politicians of using Turkey as a political football to gain favor with voters in advance of the elections.
"We observe with regret and dismay that political leaders in Germany and Austria base their election campaigns on anti-Turkey rhetoric along with pledges of preventing Turkey's EU accession process," wrote Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu in a press statement on September 4.
"In fact, the statements made during the election campaigns in those countries are worrisome especially for Europe itself," read the statement. "The fact that politicians who undertake to determine the future of their citizens give in to sheer populism based on an anti-Turkey rhetoric, instead of finding solutions to Europe's political and economic challenges, is a serious danger not only for Europe but also for the whole world."
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Specifically, Minister Cavusoglu is referring to a televised debate between Angela Merkel and her opponent Martin Schulz during which both argued that they would strive to end Turkey's talks to join the European Union (EU) membership bloc.
The decline in relations between the two countries soured after Turkey arrested several political rights activists, including several German citizens and Edil Esser, the director of Amnesty International in Turkey. The group, which has come to be known as the Istanbul 10, were arrested on July 5 under suspicion of "committing crime in the name of a terrorist organization without being a member."
After the arrest, Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel called for a "re-orientation" of Germany's policy toward Turkey and warned companies against doing business in the country. At the time, Germany issued its own travel warning to Turkey, asking German citizens to use "heightened caution" when visiting Turkey.
"German citizens in Turkey are no longer safe from arbitrary arrest," said Gabriel.
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