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Europe must build deeper strategic partnership with Turkey in response to emerging global challenges, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Said on Thursday on his first official visit to ankarawhich has played an important mediating role in the conflicts in Ukraine Gaza,
Merz was speaking with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoganJust days after Türkiye and the United Kingdom finalized a multi-billion dollar deal for the sale of 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany, part of a consortium that manufactures advanced fighter aircraft, recently lifted its long-standing objection to their export to Turkey.
Merz’s visit also comes amid reports of Germany’s support for Turkey’s participation in the European defense initiative known as Security Action for Europe, or SAFE – a 150 billion euro ($173.5 billion) program designed to boost the continent’s military capabilities. This initiative allows non-EU countries, including Türkiye, to be involved in defense projects.
Greece openly opposes Turkey’s participation in the SAFE program, arguing that Ankara would first have to abandon its perpetual threat of war linked to maritime border disputes between the two NATO members.
Merz did not mention SAFE but stressed the importance of cooperation. “Germany and Turkey must make even better use of the enormous potential of our relations in the coming months and years,” he said.
“There are compelling reasons for this, because we are entering a new geopolitical phase marked by great power politics,” the chancellor said. “For me the main conclusion of this is that as Germans and Europeans, we must expand our strategic partnership, and there is no way to have a good and deep partnership with Turkey.”
During the joint press conference, differences over human rights and the situation in Gaza came to the fore.
Advocacy group Human Rights Watch had urged Merz to speak out against Türkiye’s crackdown on the opposition, including the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. The opposition leader, widely seen as a potential challenge to Erdogan, has been held in pre-trial detention since March on corruption charges, which he denies. This week, Turkish authorities filed new charges against him for alleged espionage.
Merz avoided direct mention of Imamoglu but said: “Decisions have been taken in Turkey that do not yet meet the requirements regarding the rule of law and democracy as we understand them from a European perspective.”
Erdogan defended Turkey’s judicial system, responding: “No matter what position you hold, if you trample the law, judicial authorities in a state governed by the rule of law are obliged to take whatever action is necessary.”
On the Gaza issue, Merz said Germany has stood firmly with Israel since it was established after the genocide and will always do so. But “this does not mean that we respect or accept every political decision of the Israeli government and accept it uncritically.”
Meraz has frequently criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza in recent months.
On Thursday he stressed that “Israel exercised its right of self-defense, and to avoid countless unnecessary victims it could have taken only one decision: Hamas should have released the hostages earlier and surrendered its weapons. Then this war would have ended immediately.”
Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s military actions, again accused Israel of using “starvation and genocide” as weapons of war.
The Turkish leader argued that Hamas does not have bombs or nuclear weapons, while Israel does, and criticized Germany for allegedly ignoring the imbalance.
“As for Germany, can’t you see it?” he asked.
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Geir Moulson in Berlin and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed.