German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met 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 held a press conference with President Steinmeier of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“OUR COOPERATION IS IMPROVING EVERY DAY”
Highlights from President Erdoğan’s statements are as follows: We agree on improving our relations. Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the multidimensional relations between our countries bilaterally during our meetings. Our cooperation in the field of tourism is developing day by day.
WE HOPE WE WILL TALK ABOUT JOINT PROJECTS
We aim to increase our bilateral trade volume, which is 50 billion dollars, to 60 billion dollars in a balanced manner. We want to completely remove the restrictions we face in the defense industry from our agenda. We hope that Türkiye and Germany will talk about joint production projects from now on, not about obstacles, especially in the field of defense.
WE EXPECT MORE SUPPORT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
We have intense relationships in every field. Our concerns about the Islamophobic organizations rising in Germany as well as in Europe are increasing. We also touched upon the fight against terrorist organizations that disturb the peace of our people, especially PKK FETO. I stated that we expect more support from the German authorities in the fight against terrorism.
WE DISCUSSED THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN FOR VISA FREEZING
Türkiye-EU relations were also on our agenda. We discussed the steps that need to be taken, especially visa liberalization.
I REPEATED OUR CALL TO GAZA
I repeated our call for an end to the oppression in Gaza. Netanyahu is endangering the security of the entire region. No credit should be given to efforts to remove the massacre from the agenda. Everyone is aware that the threat to peace is increasing. The tension that escalated last week is the most striking example. The suffering will not be forgotten, even if generations pass. We took a determined and courageous stance from the first day. From now on, we will continue our efforts to reach the aid.
I WISH CONVENIENCE TO THE TEAMS
The finals of the 2024 European Football Championship will be held in Germany. Our national team will also compete in this tournament. I wish success to all teams and teams that will take part in the tournament.
STEINMEIER: THE MEETINGS WERE EXTREMELY USEFUL
Guest President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who then took the floor, said: I am very happy to be your guest here. I experienced firsthand the hospitality of your fellow citizens. Thank you for your invitation to Istanbul, Gaziantep, Ankara. My meetings were extremely useful. We met 2 years ago, shortly before Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Our second meeting was in Berlin in November, 1 month after the Hamas attack.
These two events show that we live in dangerous times. No matter how much these facts affect our political life, our relations are based on a rich and long history. It was very important for me to come to Turkey on the 100th anniversary of the start of our diplomatic relations.
Especially human relationships make our ties special. Germany has such intense, friendly and amiable relations with no other country in the world. Their stories shape our country. Representatives of these generations from political, economic and cultural life represent me during my visit. More than 100 years ago, artisans escaped from poverty in Germany and came to Turkey. German scientists and architects came in the 20s. Families, mostly Jewish, who were oppressed in Nazi Germany, came here. Today, I gained new information on this subject at Ankara University. Our historical commitment is very current. We experienced the earthquake in the southeast 1 year ago. Humanitarian aid organizations and doctors arrived in a very short time. Of course, intense financial support was also provided from Germany.
I VISITED THE EARTHQUAKE AREA
I visited the earthquake area yesterday. There I expressed how admirable the reconstruction efforts were. Here, Syrian immigrants also became victims of the earthquake. I talked to them too. As Germany, we will not forget the earthquake victims and will continue to support them.
We all said that trade between the two countries reached a new record level with a volume of 55 billion euros. Reforms in financial policies in Turkey are appreciated in Europe. The Minister of Finance, who accompanied me, also gave information. Our countries are going through difficult times. We have to further develop our economic relations.
Freedom of the press and the rule of law are extremely important in relations between Türkiye and the EU. During the EU summit in Germany, we said that we should make efforts to make concrete progress on this issue. Reforms in financial policies in Turkey are appreciated in Europe. The Minister of Finance, who accompanied me, also gave information. Our countries are going through difficult times. We have to further develop our economic relations.
Freedom of the press and the rule of law are extremely important in relations between Türkiye and the EU. During the EU summit in Germany, we said that we should make efforts to make concrete progress on this issue.
Turkey has a diligent civil society. There are people who want and strive for the good of their countries. I wish Turkey development towards a dynamic, democratic Europe. As I just said, developments in the world worry us all. We also discussed this with Mr. President. New self-confident countries are emerging. Türkiye and Germany are not actually the only partners. We, especially as two countries, are indispensable for each other. We need each other in NATO and G20.
We must highlight our common interests and find common solutions. We discussed the Cyprus issue with Mr. President. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine was also an important issue. We expressed our satisfaction that the long-awaited political decisions have been made in the USA.
TURKEY HAS AN IMPORTANT DUTY TO STOP THE GAZA WAR
We know that Turkey also supports Ukraine and we are trying to provide this support in the same way. We will continue this support militarily and economically.
In this brutal attack on Israel, Hamas killed 1200 men, women and children. He has been holding more than 300 hostages for 6 months. In our opinion, if the October 7 attack had not happened, this war in the Middle East would not have happened. At the same time, we re-emphasized our common goals. We have to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We must prevent the war from spreading to the region. Turkey has an important duty in this regard.
We talked with Mr. President that we should all use our relations in the region. Especially for the release of hostages. One thing we agree on is that security for Israel cannot be achieved in the medium and long term without a political perspective for the Palestinians. This political perspective could be a two-state solution. We must take steps on this issue. We must re-accelerate Turkish-German relations in these difficult times. After our very intense and detailed discussions, I would like to thank you again with all my heart for your invitation. Thank you for your hospitality and candor.
QUESTION ANSWER
After their speeches, the two leaders also answered journalists’ questions.
ERDOĞAN: WE DO NOT KEEP COMMERCIAL RELATIONS SUSTAINABLE WITH ISRAEL
Answering the question regarding the developments regarding Israel, President Erdoğan said, “We no longer maintain intensive commercial relations with Israel. That job is over. My Minister of Foreign Affairs recently announced this. But I want you to know this; currently, the number of deaths in Israel’s attacks on Gaza Unfortunately, it reached 45 thousand. It is not possible to put this number aside. The number of injured people is 75 thousand. Of course, the treatment of some of these injured people in serious condition continues in our country. Unfortunately, this is a serious situation. Our German friends need to see that Gaza-Palestine has been completely destroyed, everywhere is in such a situation. Besides, the weapons, ammunition and equipment of Israel and Gaza cannot be compared. “Who is the West on? Israel’s side?” said.
GERMAN PRESIDENT: THEY WILL GET THE PUNISHMENT THEY DESERVE
The German President asked: “What precautions will the German government take against extreme racists?” He answered the question as follows:
I said, “The incident you mentioned upsets me as much as you do.” The latest arson incident in Solingen is different. I gave a speech on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the attack in Solingen. After such an effective event, we could not think that a similar event could happen again. Unfortunately, there was a new attack. German security forces will give these perpetrators the punishment they deserve.
Tags: Breaking news Critical summit Ankara .. Erdogan Trade Israel
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