Merz to visit Erdogan

2025-10-31 07:57:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Turkish President Erdo?an. It was a special visit, characterized by the cultivation of German-Turkish relations. Only on the Middle East do they seem to have disagreements.

At the joint press conference, Chancellor Friedrich Merz referred to geopolitical crises dominated by international powers. This requires closer strategic partnerships for Germany and, according to Merz, Turkey cannot be overlooked in any way. The two countries are closely linked both socially and economically, Merz said, and this constitutes the foundation of bilateral relations. Germany and Turkey are also members of NATO, so they are also connected in terms of security policy.

Turkey has an important role in international conflicts

The Turkish president plays a key role in the current conflicts. Erdogan is heavily involved in both the Middle East peace process and the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Chancellor Merz thanked him for this during the press conference. Merz discussed with Erdogan how this peace process could be further secured, even though the two have very different views on the terrorist organization Hamas and completely opposite attitudes towards Israel.

Asked by a Turkish journalist about his stance on Israel, Merz stressed that Germany will always stand "resolutely on the side of the state of Israel." However, this does not mean that Germany will accept every decision made by an Israeli government.

Meanwhile, the Turkish President referred to the 60,000 people killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli attacks and bombings and again accused Israel of "genocide" and of leaving the Palestinian population to starve to death.

Ukraine, migration and the human rights situation in Turkey

The war in Ukraine was also a topic of discussion: Turkey wants to mediate and has already organized meetings between the warring parties. However, so far there has been little success. Erdogan is keeping all his options open: he is supplying weapons to Ukraine, but is not participating in the European sanctions packages against Russia. Merzi hopes that there will be progress on this issue.

The German Chancellor also wants to reach an agreement with Erdogan on the issue of migration. He wants Turkey to support Germany in expelling foreigners. This does not only include Turkish citizens, but also deportations to Syria. Merz believes that talks on this topic are on the right track.

Asked about the issue of human rights in Turkey, Merz gave a brief answer at the press conference. He explained that there are situations in Turkey that do not correspond to our understanding of the rule of law. Chancellor Merz said that in discussions with President Erdogan, he had expressed concerns about the independence of the judiciary, but did not provide details./ DW