German govt cautious on Turkish ‘fence-mending’ bid

The German government has responded cautiously to signals by Turkey’s president that he wants better relations, stressing its interest in several Germans jailed for what Berlin considers political reasons, AP reports. Ankara has “no problems with Germany, or with the Netherlands or Belgium,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments published Thursday. Spokesman Georg Streiter said Friday that the German government has taken note of these comments. “The German government is of the opinion that resolving the remaining detention cases has an important role in improving bilateral relations,” Streiter added. Berlin also welcomed news Thursday of a German national’s release, the spokesman said, without giving details.