Turkey's Foreign Ministry has issued a travel warning for Germany, cautioning citizens to be prudent while in the country, citing rising racism in that country's election campaign, anti-Turkish sentiment and alleged support for terror groups.

The move is the latest in worsening tensions between Germany and Turkey, highlighted during a referendum campaign this year in Turkey to expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - which German officials often blocked from being conducted in that country.
The ongoing German general election has also seen the feud revived, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telling Turks in Germany not to cast votes for major parties, while German candidates regularly talk about ending Turkey's EU accession process.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel had previously warned against travel to Turkey, in part because several German citizens – including two journalists and a human rights worker - are in pretrial detention in Turkish prisons, on terror related charges.
"Political leaders in Germany are establishing their election campaigns on an anti-Turkey basis and blocking our country's EU membership," the Turkish statement said.
The ministry said the country has been "for a while under the influence of increasing far-right and even racist rhetoric." Ankara further charged that there is discrimination in Germany against Turkish citizens "based on their political views."
Germany holds a general election this month. Troubled relations with Turkey have been strongly in focus during campaigns and debates. Both major parties have said they want to scrap Turkey's accession talks to join the European Union.
However, EU foreign ministers shrugged off the idea of scrapping Ankara's membership bid at a meeting on Friday, instead stressing the need for dialogue. The statement alleged there was no judicial recourse in Germany for "xenophobia and racism."
Ankara further charged that Germany welcomes terrorist groups, naming the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the network of the US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. The former is a proscribed terrorist group in Turkey and the EU; the latter is not.
Terrorists "walk freely on the streets" of Germany, the ministry charged.
Citizens should "act restrained in the face of probable xenophobic and racist treatment" and stay away from political meetings or events organized by "terrorist organizations," which Turkey says are condoned by the German government.
The ministry said Turkish citizens were being subjected to ill treatment at German airports. Germany is home to about 3 million people of Turkish origin.
A host of issues have strained the ties, including Germany granting asylum to Turks wanted by Ankara and a Turkish refusal to let German lawmakers visit German soldiers at the Incirlik airbase.
Furthermore, Erdogan said some European leaders displayed Nazi-like behaviour after his ministers were barred from campaigning in some cities.
There has been growing concern among several European nations about democratic backsliding in Turkey and what critics say is an authoritarian trend by Erdogan, especially following the imposition of a state of emergency followed a failed coup attempt last year.
Some 50,000 people have been jailed and 150,000 have lost their jobs, while private companies have been seized. Scores of journalists are in jail and media houses have been shuttered.
Turkey has accused Germany of populism domestically and trying to use the EU to deal with its bilateral relationship with Ankara.
Despite all this, Turkey and Europe last year reached a deal on stemming migration flows from Turkey to the continent, highlighting the importance of the often frayed partnership.

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