Germany condemned the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as ‘absolutely unacceptable,’ referring to it as a ‘bad sign’ and ‘serious regression’ for democracy in Turkey. Government spokesperson, Stephen Härbesstrait, stated that they are closely monitoring developments in Turkey with great concern. He urged Ankara to ‘immediately clarify and ensure transparency’ regarding the case. Mr. Härbesstrait added that over the past years, good relations between the EU and Turkey were established, but recent events are casting a negative light on democracy and further development of these ties. From the Foreign Ministry, deputy representative Christian Wagner hinted at updating travel advisories for Turkey, especially after the arrest of journalists covering protests supporting İmamoğlu. Earlier, CDU politician Serap Güler commented on German public television ARD that German-Turkish relations are strained following İmamoğlu’s arrest. She advised the future federal government to abandon a confrontational approach and opt for trust-based dialogue with Ankara. Güler noted that Turkey is not inclined to change when publicly criticized, marking this as a mistake by the outgoing administration, which was refuted by the government spokesperson.