German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Wednesday that his country and Turkey want to see their relations improve.
He spoke to reporters in Berlin where he hosted a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after a week of disputes.
"The memories we have of our good relations with Turkey are so important right now because our current relations are very tense. This is not normal," Gabriel said.
Turkish officials have been angered by German authorities who banned local rallies where Turkish ministers were due to speak to supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Saturday, Erdogan said during a rally in Istanbul that such moves were no different than the practices of Nazi Germany.
And last week, Turkey arrested a reporter for the German newspaper Die Welt.
Gabriel said he made clear to Cavusoglu that making comparisons to Nazi Germany is a line that must not be crossed. He otherwise described Wednesday's meeting as friendly and open, but also controversial and hard.