Before a joint dinner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pointed out the different views they have on the situation in the Middle East. It is therefore “good that we speak directly,” said Scholz in a joint press conference during Erdoğan’s state visit.
Scholz clearly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. “Anyone who knows Germany,” he said, “knows that our solidarity with Israel is non-negotiable.” Israel’s right to exist is irrefutable, said Scholz, probably alluding to Erdoğan’s statements last week in which he doubted this and accused the country of “fascism.” Scholz also emphasized that victims in the Gaza Strip also had to be prevented. “Every life is worth the same,” he said.
Erdoğan claimed that the world was only talking about the Hamas attacks, but Israel’s response and the deaths in Gaza were being neglected. Gaza actually no longer exists; Israel has razed it to the ground, he said. There are 13,000 dead Palestinians as well as hostages on the Israeli side – he provided no evidence either for the numbers or for the accusation that Israel had abducted people.
However, both politicians emphasized that they wanted to work for humanitarian ceasefires in the region; Erdoğan spoke of a ceasefire. If Germany and Turkey achieve this, Erdoğan said, then the region could be saved from the fire. Both strive for a two-state solution.
Scholz and Erdoğan emphasized common positions in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Scholz “expressly thanked the Turkish President” for brokering the grain agreement in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia withdrew from this agreement in the summer. The Chancellor said that we want to do everything we can to ensure that there are new regulations for the export of grain soon.
The press conference also discussed the question of Turkey’s accession to the EU. The country has been a candidate for membership since 1999; negotiations began in 2005 and were frozen in 2016. Erdoğan emphasized that it is important that negotiations continue. People have been standing at the door of the European Union for more than 50 years, but are not being let in.
Erdoğan received by Steinmeier
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Berlin for the last time in January 2020. The occasion was a conference on the conflict in Libya, Angela Merkel was still Chancellor. The global crisis scene looked different back then: there was not yet a full-blown war in Ukraine that concerned the world public, but rather territorially limited armed conflicts in the east of the country. Things were also relatively quiet in the Middle East. Erdoğan’s difficult attitude towards Israel was therefore not an issue.
Erdoğan, who has been in power in Turkey for more than 20 years, is important for Germany and Europe. Also because he could play a mediator role in many conflicts. For example, he still talks to Putin and at the same time sells drones to Ukraine. He is also pushing for new versions of the grain deal that Russia let expire in July. He is the president of a NATO member and an important transit country for asylum seekers, and Erdoğan also has contacts with Hamas. Germany’s diplomatic efforts to free the German hostages have so far been unsuccessful. It remains to be seen whether this could change with the support of the Turkish president. Scholz and Erdoğan announced that they wanted to talk about it at their dinner.
On Friday afternoon, Erdoğan was first received at Bellevue Palace by Federal President Frank-Walther Steinmeier. The press conference with Scholz is the only date during Erdoğan’s visit at which the two politicians speak publicly. Departure is planned for the same evening.