Erdoğan’s Official Welcome for the German Chancellor in Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday welcomed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz with an official ceremony at the Beştepe Complex.
During the ceremony, a cavalry unit escorted the German Chancellor’s official car to the protocol gate. After the national anthems of both countries were played, 21 ceremonial cannon shots were fired, and 16 soldiers carrying flags symbolizing the 16 historic Turkish states were present. Merz reviewed the guard of honor, after which the two leaders posed for a commemorative photo in front of the Turkish and German flags. Bilateral talks then began.
At the joint press conference, the German Chancellor stressed: “We want to see Turkey in the European Union.” He described Turkey as a very important actor in foreign and security policy and said that security cooperation between the two countries would be expanded. Merz also stated regarding Turkey’s purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon jets that these aircraft would serve their common security. On the Gaza ceasefire, he thanked Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States for their role and expressed hope that the peace process would conclude with the twenty-point plan presented by the U.S. President.
President Erdoğan, for his part, said: “If the European Union responds appropriately to Ankara’s resolute will, we can achieve significant progress on the path to membership in a short time.” He described the Turkish community living in Germany as a “shared value and wealth” of both countries and emphasized the need to remove obstacles in defense industry cooperation.
The Turkish President also underlined the importance of coordination with Germany on the issue of Syria and the continuation of diplomatic efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war. In another part of his remarks, he stressed the necessity of combating xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe. On Gaza, he said: “Hamas does not have bombs or nuclear weapons, but Israel does… Israel, by attacking Gaza, even through starvation and genocide, has always sought to punish it, and this process still continues.”
Erdoğan called for the involvement of the German Red Cross and the Turkish Red Crescent to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, adding: “Just as we want the Russia–Ukraine war to end, we also want the Israel–Gaza war to end. Turkey and Germany are two important countries that can cooperate in this regard.”
