Germany and Turkey have had politically tense relations for years – almost by tradition. What can be achieved from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Ankara?
“The focus is on bilateral talks with Mr Erdogan.” That’s all that deputy government spokesman Stefan Meyer offered at this week’s press conference in Berlin, when asked about the chancellor’s upcoming two-day visit to Turkey starting on Wednesday.
The mayor described it as an “inaugural visit” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, noting that “there will be a small program around it.”
Since taking office, Merze has had brief encounters with Erdogan on the international stage, including a meeting in Tirana, Albania, in May.
History of bilateral meetings
Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz made his “inaugural visit” to Turkey in March 2022, just three months after taking office, when he visited the Turkish capital for a day. In contrast, Scholz’s predecessor Angela Merkel visited Istanbul and Ankara in 2006, eleven months into her term.
What these three chancellors share is a dependence on Türkiye, shaped by different political circumstances. For Merkel, it was the refugee influx of 2015; For Scholz, the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine in February 2022; And for Merz, Ankara’s potential role as a mediator in both the Ukraine war and the Gaza conflict.
Looking back shows how much the dynamics have changed. Helmut Kohl, who served as Chancellor from 1982 to 1998, waited nearly three years before making his first visit to Turkey. His successor, Gerhard Schröder, who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, delayed his first visit by five and a half years.
This retrospective also highlights one of the enduring and unresolved controversies: Türkiye’s bid to join the European Union (EU). Türkiye is a key NATO ally, yet it is still a long way from joining the European Union.
Ankara submitted its application in 1999, but Germany has consistently met this ambition with skepticism – much to Turkey’s dismay. Formal accession negotiations began in 2005, yet they have been stalled for years.
Political scientist Yaser Aydin, a researcher at the Center for Applied Turkish Studies (CATS) within the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), believes that Germany’s stance on Turkey has changed. Aydın told DW that in recent years, a “pragmatic and transactional relationship” has been established between Berlin and Ankara, based on geopolitical and strategic power dynamics.
According to Aydın, the turning point in German-Turkish relations was Chancellor Merkel’s 2016 “refugee agreement”, which helped ease domestic tensions in Germany. Later, other geopolitical challenges emerged.
Aydin commented, “It’s give and take.” The relationship has evolved “towards a kind of symmetry”. In contrast to Chancellor Kohl’s tenure, when Germany maintained a restrictive arms policy toward Turkey, today’s approach is notably more open.
Strength and practicality
What can Chancellor Merz’s visit offer the Turkish President? Aydin first points out the symbolism of power.
Just this Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Ankara. In particular, he refused to meet with representatives of the opposition Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP) – Labour’s social democratic sister party. Instead, Starmer and Erdogan formally signed an agreement for Türkiye to purchase 20 Eurofighters from the United Kingdom.
Aydin also underlines the importance of Germany, the EU’s largest member state, home to more than three million Turkish immigrants and serving as the most important export market for Turkish goods. Erdogan is hoping to modernize the customs union with the EU.
In terms of European policy and Ankara’s influence on Turkish immigrants in Germany, the centre-right Christian Democratic Union party and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, have long taken a critical stance towards Turkey’s political trajectory.
Restrictions on democratic rights and repression of opposition voices in Türkiye have deepened this suspicion.
Green Party politician Annalena Baerbock, who served as Germany’s foreign minister until early May 2025, has repeatedly drawn Ankara’s ire with sharp public criticism.
Focus on economy, migration and security
According to government sources in Berlin, Merz’s visit will focus on strengthening cooperation in the areas of the economy, migration and security – areas that reflect today’s most pressing challenges.
Just eleven days before the chancellorship, German Foreign Minister Johann Waddefull made his inaugural visit to Ankara. Both Merz and Wadefull belong to the CDU, the senior partner in Germany’s centre-right political coalition. Wadeful may have prepared the ground for the arrival of Marz.
Wadeful stressed the importance of Türkiye as a key partner and NATO ally. The main topics of discussion during their meetings were the situation in Gaza and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Public criticism was minimal.
germany public broadcaster ARD The report said Wadefull said Germany wants progress in EU-Turkey relations: “We want an update of the customs union, we want visa liberalisation. Above all, we want a positive agenda,” he said.
This article was originally written in German.