It's been a tense day for Turkey's president during a three-day state visit to Germany. Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hoping to reset strained ties with Chancellor Angela Merkel. CGTN's Guy Henderson reports on how much progress was made in Berlin.

To his many German critics, even the military honors were too warm a welcome.

Turkey's president was looking to reset relations though. So for a while, the hosts played along.

At the German Chancellory, the handshake went to script too. Then things started to go wrong.

First, a delayed press conference: the visitors objected to admitting a Turkish journalist convicted of espionage back home and now in exile in Germany.

When he didn't show, it went ahead only for one of his colleagues to protest.

Tensions around Recep Tayyip Erdogan's post-coup attempt crackdown also played out on the podiums.

Berlin wouldn't budge on renewed requests to send back Turkey's most-wanted.

ANGELA MERKEL GERMAN CHANCELLOR "We need more material if we are to classify the Gulen movement in the same way we have classified the Kurdish PKK as a terrorist group. There are some cases where we search for them in Germany, but we don't even know whether those people are still here."

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN TURKISH PRESIDENT "There are hundreds of members of the Gulen movement here. It's important to arrest those people with the necessary self-confidence which will then facilitate our work. The Kurdish PKK is recognized as a terrorist group, so it should be easy to also recognize this one as such. We have an extradition agreement, and it is important that this happens for the peace and security of our two countries."

On the streets of the German capital, these pro-Kurdish protesters accused Erdogan of threatening peace and security.

"Erdogan is the biggest terrorist, not the Kurdish fighters."

"Germany is not hiding terrorists. They only protect people who seek political asylum."

GUY HENDERSON BERLIN "There are some three million people of Turkish descent living in Germany. Many are supportive of Erdogan's policies. It is his opponents that are speaking up here."

Though both camps had their say.

"We are happy that Erdogan is here. We are very happy. And we think that everything will be better."

Ahead of a state banquet, the Turkish leader visited a memorial to victims of war and dictatorship.

To many German politicians: a scene perhaps verging on the ironic. They shunned the evening's festivities, believing this is a leader turning his back on democracy. GH, CGTN, Berlin.