German foreign minister to visit Turkey next month

Germany’s foreign minister is scheduled to visit Turkey next month to discuss bilateral ties and regional issues, diplomatic sources said on Friday.

During his two-day visit on Sept. 5-6, Heiko Maas will meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and other senior officials in the capital Ankara.

Later the two top diplomats will travel to Istanbul for a celebration at the city’s German School marking its 150th anniversary.

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

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.

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