All eyes on Ankara! What will Erdogan talk to Steinmeier?

European Union files stand out on the agenda of the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

CEREMONY IN ANKARA

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara today, on the last day of his visit to Turkey for the 100th anniversary of the Turkey-Germany Friendship Treaty signed in 1924. President Erdoğan welcomed his guest counterpart with a ceremony at the Presidential Complex.

CRITICAL AGENDA

The agenda of the meeting will also include relations between the two countries and Turkey’s issues related to the European Union (EU). It is stated that Ankara will convey its six expectations from Germany, which is the most powerful country in the EU and is more prominent than France in terms of leadership within the Union, under two headings. As a matter of fact, the officials said, “We expect Germany to play a constructive role that can meet our expectations in the processes of our full membership to the EU, the updating of the Customs Union and the granting of visa liberalization to Turkish citizens.” Diplomatic sources made the following assessment to Milliyet:

SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE

“Steinmeier’s first official visit to our country in his capacity as President demonstrates the continuity of our intensive high-level contacts with Germany and the mutual importance attached to our bilateral relations. Germany was among the countries that provided the most support after the earthquake disasters that occurred in our country last year. Germany is one of our largest trading partners. Our trade volume reached 50.6 billion dollars in 2023. (Turkey’s exports to Germany will be 21.9 billion dollars in 2023, and its imports from Germany will be 28.7 billion dollars in the same period) It is aimed to reach 60 billion dollars mutually.

We aim to strengthen mutual understanding between our NATO ally countries on counter-terrorism, security and migration issues, and to discuss our expectations in these areas during the meetings. We expect Germany, one of the leading countries in the EU, to play a constructive role that can meet our expectations in the processes of our full membership to the EU, the updating of the Customs Union and the granting of visa liberalization to Turkish citizens. We will also discuss issues that concern the Turkish community in Germany, which constitutes a fundamental element of our human relations and adds strength and richness to our relations. “We will also express our views on the developments in our immediate region, especially Israel – Palestine, Ukraine and Cyprus.”