"At the moment, Europe is returning to the values it had before the second World War," Cavusoglu said in televised remarks from Slovenia, where he attended a meeting. "What are they? Brutality, as well as fascism and violence, intolerance and wiping out each other."
With less than three weeks to go until Germany's national elections on September 24, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her main rival Martin Schulz clashed during a debate on Sunday evening over the issue of Turkey and refugees, with both politicians calling for an end to Turkey's EU membership negotiations.
"Germany should not have come to this line," Cavusoglu said. "I hope they will turn back from the path they have taken."
On Twitter, Cavusoglu said: "The elections are being held in Germany, not in Turkey. German politicians seem to have forgotten this fact."
Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that German and Austrian leaders were at the forefront of efforts to exclude Turkey from the European Union, saying European leaders "chased" after officials in Ankara during the refugee crisis of 2015.
Cavusoglu was among a wave of Turkish officials to criticize Germany following the debate between Merkel and Schulz, during which Merkel said she was in favour of suspending pre-accession financial assistance to Turkey. The aid amounts to some 600 million euros (713
million dollars) per year, and ending it would effectively end membership talks.
Schulz outright called for accession talks to be stopped.
Relations are also tense over the imprisonment of German citizens in Turkey, including two journalists and a human rights worker. Berlin is demanding their release along with several others who the German government says are being held for political reasons.
Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, posted nine messages on Twitter saying German political currents are rife with populism and policies of
marginalization, fuelling "discrimination and racism."
Germany's problems were ignored and Turkey was attacked instead during the debate, Kalin said, adding this was a sign of European short-sightedness. He accused Berlin of supporting "putschists and terrorists."
Kalin said it did not matter who won the election in Germany this month because it was "clear which mentality will win."
Erdogan has previously called on people of Turkish origin in Germany not to vote for the main three parties.
,At the moment, Europe is returning to the values it had before the second World War,, Cavusoglu said
Europe is reverting to the values it had before World War II, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday, one day after the main candidates for German chancellor took hardline stances against EU membership for Turkey during a televised debate.
