Turkey trip
Erdogan serves kebab for Steinmeier at lunch
A chef prepares kebab meat from a skewer on a terrace of the Presidential Palace. photo
© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
A snack stand owner with a kebab skewer brought along with him attracted a lot of attention during Federal President Steinmeier’s visit to Turkey. Host Erdogan shows humor at the official dinner.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was a humorous host during the visit of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier proved. After three days of reporting on the trip was dominated by the fact that Steinmeier had brought a Berlin snack bar owner to the Bosphorus with a 60 kilo kebab skewer, Erdogan had what served at the official lunch? Exactly: kebab. The tables turned on a terrace of the presidential palace while the delegations ate inside.
The kebab skewer and cook attracted almost more attention in the German and Turkish media than the content of the first visit by a federal president to Turkey in ten years. There was talk of “Steinmeier’s kebab diplomacy” – mostly with negative undertones. This was also a topic in the joint press conference.
Steinmeier and Erdogan were asked whether the discussion might show how superficial relations between Germany and Turkey have become. “I think this is not a sign of how superficial relations have become, but rather a sign of the superficiality of the debate about this visit,” Steinmeier replied. In any case, he was very grateful to have been accompanied by such a diverse delegation. “And Arif Keles’ kebab is also part of this diversity that has helped shape the new Germany.”
Erdogan reacted briefly and calmly: “I think the kebab in Istanbul is already over,” he said. Keles had already prepared his kebab on Monday evening at a reception in the German ambassador’s summer residence. At Erdogan’s official meal on Wednesday, non-doner kebab fans were also catered for: There was also fried zucchini flowers with goat cheese, veal fillet with mushroom sauce and a Turkish dessert plate.