ANKARA, Turkey — The crisis between Turkey and Germany, escalating with back-to-back spats, reached new heights this month with the arrest of German national and human rights consultant Peter Steudtner during a police raid on a meeting of human rights defenders, whom the government accuses of planning subversive activities. Following the arrests, Germany for the first time raised the prospect of sanctions against Turkey.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on July 20 that Berlin could no longer guarantee German company investments in Turkey because of the lack of “legal certainty.” He also warned that German citizens were “no longer safe from arbitrary arrests” in the country. “We can’t go on as we have before,” Gabriel said. “We have to be clearer than before so that those in charge in Ankara understand that such a policy won’t be without consequences.” Gabriel’s statement was widely perceived in Turkey as a threat of sanctions and a veiled call to German entrepreneurs and tourists to stop investing and vacationing in the country.

With bilateral tensions simmering, two disparate approaches emerged from Ankara: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharpened his tone toward Germany, and figures close to him made statements that threatened to further fuel the row. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and some Cabinet members have sought to de-escalate the situation, adopting moderate language and stressing that tensions will harm both sides.

Speaking in Istanbul July 21, Erdogan urged Germany “to sort itself out.” Referring to the prospect of economic sanctions, he said, “They are attempting to threaten Turkey, [relying on] the wealth they have acquired by chance. There is something called a free market in the world. They are not aware even of that.”