Turkey PM reassures German execs after 'terror claims'

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim met with German business executives on Thursday to reassure them following a bitter row between Ankara and Berlin that threatened to drag them into a terror funding crackdown. Yildirim held the breakfast meeting in Ankara with 19 executives from companies -- including Bosch, Siemens, Mercedes and BASF -- telling them they were valued in Turkey. "It is very important for us that you are not hurt at all by recent developments, that you are not part of this tension," Yildirim said during the meeting, according to Anadolu news agency. Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci and European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik also attended the meeting, according to images shared by the prime minister's office on Twitter. Refik Turkoglu, a lawyer who attended the meeting, said investments from Germany were "already loosening" in the last one or two years. "It was getting worse lately. Now, based on what we see, the government is seeing that this is serious and can see that this trend might have damaging consequences for both countries," he added. - Strained relations - Relations between Germany and Turkey have been strained since last year's attempted coup and the subsequent crackdown, which Berlin has criticised to Turkey's chagrin. The arrest of several German nationals as part of a purge of those suspected of links to the alleged coup-plotters and "terrorist" groups -- along with German officials being denied access to a NATO base in Turkey -- further raised tensions. In the latest episode of the dispute last week, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warned German firms against investment in Turkey and spoke of an "overhaul" of the entire relationship. Turkey then reportedly listed 700 German firms as having links to companies suspected of terror funding -- possibly putting their executives at risk of being caught up in the crackdown. Turkey later said the request was a "communication error" and related to 140 Turkish companies, denying it had ever concerned German firms. Turkey previously accused Germany of supporting "terrorist" organisations. During the meeting, Yildirim said Turkey expected Germany not to give space to supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or the movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed for last year's failed coup. The EU warned this week that Ankara risks harming Turkey's economy if it didn't reduce tensions with the bloc, which it has been negotiating to join for a dozen of years.