Turkey, Germany holding counter-terrorism talks

Senior officials from Turkey and Germany are starting a two-day high-level meeting in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss security and counter-terrorism issues, and measures against the terrorist PKK and FETO, according to diplomatic sources.

Muhterem İnce, Turkey's Interior Ministry undersecretary, and Emily Haber, Germany's state secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, are co-chairing the meeting, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

"Turkey's expectations from Germany in the fight against terrorism and measures against terrorist groups such as the PKK and FETO -- the group behind the 2016 attempted coup -- are among the major items on the agenda," a senior Turkish official told Anadolu Agency,

The fight against the terrorist group Daesh, measures against foreign fighters, and cooperation against organized crime are among the other topics on the agenda.

The meeting will be the first top-level gathering between Turkish and German security officials after months of political tensions between the two countries which also undermined cooperation over security.

Ties between Ankara and Berlin were strained as Turkish politicians blasted their German counterparts for not taking serious measures against outlawed groups and terrorist organizations which use Germany as a platform for their fund-raising, recruitment, and propaganda activities.

German politicians, on the other hand, criticized Ankara -- especially before their general elections in September -- over the arrest of around a dozen German citizens, including a reporter, a translator, and a human rights activist, on suspicion of aiding and abetting terrorist groups.

The two countries took steps in recent weeks towards normalization, and intensified talks to address their political differences on a number of issues.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen are responsible for the July 2016 coup attempt that martyred 250 people and left 2,200 injured.

In its 30-year terrorist campaign, the PKK has taken the lives of 40,000 people in Turkey, including thousands of civilians.