NATO offers to broker compromise in Turkish-German stand-off - Photo: AFP

The mediation offer by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, announced on Monday, came as Ankara sought to limit economic fallout from the row, dropping a request for Berlin to help investigate hundreds of German companies it said could have links to terrorism. Germany has become increasingly worried by President Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on the Turkish opposition after a coup attempt last year - concerns made more acute by the arrest this month of six human rights activists, including one German.  Adding to tensions is Turkey's refusal to let German members of parliament to visit soldiers stationed at two air bases in Turkey.