21 July 2017•Update: 21 July 2017
By Satuk Bugra Kutlugun
ANKARA
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday denied claims 68 German firms in Turkey were under investigation.
Yildirim made the remarks in response to German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel's statement on Thursday that Berlin would not encourage German businessmen to invest in Turkey, nor would it provide investment guarantees to German companies.
Speaking to journalists in Ankara, the premier said: "These companies are owned by German individuals, but they are [run by] Turks. Some of them have been in operating in Turkey for over half a century."
He also called for not making "worrying statements" targeting businessmen keen on investing in Turkey.
Gabriel's remarks came in an apparent attempt to increase pressure on Ankara to release German citizen Peter Steudtner.
Steudtner was among 10 people arrested in a police raid during a meeting in Buyukada, one of the Princes’ Islands near Istanbul, for allegedly planning provocative events that would fuel unrest across Turkey similar to the Gezi Park incidents in 2013.
A Turkish court on Tuesday remanded in custody Steudtner, on charges of aiding an armed terrorist organization.
Germany's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on the Turkish authorities to release Steudtner, calling his detention “unjustified” and charges against the group “absurd”.
Ties between Ankara and Berlin have been strained in recent months as Turkish leaders slammed Germany for turning a blind eye to the activities of outlawed groups and terrorist organizations, which are hostile to Turkey.
Despite repeated requests by Ankara to arrest suspects in last July's defeated coup attempt in Turkey, German authorities have turned down extradition requests.
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which organized the foiled coup bid, runs dozens of private schools, businesses and media organizations in Germany.
Since the coup attempt, nearly 4,000 FETO suspects have fled to Germany from Turkey and other countries, according to local media reports.
Ties were further strained this month after Germany barred President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from addressing Turkish community representatives on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, citing security concerns.
Last week, Ankara postponed a planned visit by a group of German lawmakers to a NATO base in Turkey's central Konya province, saying that such a meeting was not politically appropriate at this time.
