Turkey accuses Germany of 'cultural racism' over comments about country joining EU

Ties between Turkey and the EU have become more strained since a failed coup last month

Turkish soldiers carry a giant Turkish flag during a ceremony to mark 94th anniversary of Turkeys Victory Day in Ankara on 30 August, 2016 (AFP/Getty Images)

A Turkish minister has said comments by Germany's European commissioner in which he said Turkey would probably not join the EU while Recep Tayyip Erdogan was president showed "cultural racism".

Turkish European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik responded to Guenther Oettinger's remarks in an interview with the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Ties between Turkey and the EU have become more strained since a failed coup last month led Turkey to purge state institutions of suspected coup sympathisers.

EU leaders have called for "restraint and moderation", drawing criticism from Turkey, who said they failed to appreciate the threat posed by those behind the plot.

President Erdogan’s threat to bring back the death penalty, abolished in 2004 as part of its application to join the EU, was condemned by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said all negotiations on Ankara’s accession to the EU would cease immediately if it is carried out.