Germany wants to improve ties with Turkey: FM Maas

Germany wants to improve relations with Turkey and enhance cooperation on issues of common interest, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has said ahead of his talks in Ankara on Wednesday.

"Germany has a strategic interest in reshaping our relations with Turkey in a constructive way. Turkey is not only a big neighbor of us but also an important partner of Germany," he said in a statement.

Maas is scheduled to meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and other senior officials on Wednesday in the capital Ankara.

Over the past two years, political relations between Ankara and Berlin have suffered setbacks, but in recent months both sides have taken steps towards improving ties.

Maas' trip to Turkey comes ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s key visit to Berlin on Sept. 28-29.

EU heavyweight Germany remains Turkey’s main economic and trade partner, despite political disagreements between the two governments on a number of issues.