Germany has issued a warning to its citizen saying that traveling to Turkey is deemed no longer safe for German citizen after Turkish authority arrested a German human rights activist, Peter Steudtner, charging him of supporting a terrorist organization. German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel said that Germany would be pursuing new policies towards Turkey. In a press conference in Berlin, he said, “We have to be clearer than before, so the authorities in Ankara understand that their policies are not without consequences.” Mr. Gabriel also said Germany would discuss with its EU partners the possibility of cutting pre-accession economic aid to Turkey, provided as part of its efforts to join the EU. The foreign secretary added that he supported a proposal from Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democrats, the junior partner in Ms. Merkel’s coalition government, to suspend talks on expanding the customs union between Turkey and the EU.

Relations between the two governments have been deteriorating for months. In June, Germany decided to withdraw its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik air base and move them to Jordan in protest at the repeated delays that members of the German Bundestag had encountered in trying to visit the facility. Before that, Turkey accused Germany and other European nations such as Greece of providing shelter to those who took part in the failed military coup in Turkey last year.

The relations started deteriorating rapidly after Turkish officials were not allowed to hold rallies in Germany aimed to shore support for Erdogan’s controversial referendum, which would provide more powers to the President.