ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his help in advancing a defence contract following talks in Istanbul on Saturday, however, the two leaders remained starkly at odds over the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Scholz arrived in Turkey on Friday evening for his first visit since March 2022, with the Middle East tensions, migration, and bilateral defence cooperation high on the agenda.
During a joint press conference, Erdogan strongly criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon, accusing Israel of committing genocide.
“We expect all political actors to take the initiative and put a stop to Israel’s aggressive policies,” he said, denouncing “the genocide carried out by Israel in the Palestinian territories and the attacks in Lebanon.”
However, Scholz said, “Germany does not consider the accusation of genocide legitimate and justified.” He reaffirmed Germany’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence. Scholz also called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Turkey’s relations with Germany, which has a Turkish diaspora of around three million, have long been delicate. Berlin has frequently raised concerns about human rights and democratic standards under Erdogan’s leadership. Scholz and Erdogan had previously clashed over the Gaza crisis during a meeting in Berlin last November.
Despite these diplomatic tensions, the two leaders made progress on bilateral defence issues. Erdogan expressed his appreciation for Scholz’s efforts to lift German restrictions on defence sales to Turkey, particularly regarding Ankara’s interest in acquiring 40 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
“We wish to leave behind the past difficulties in the context of the supply of defence industry products and develop our cooperation,” Erdogan said, praising Scholz for seeking solutions to the defence impasse.
The Eurofighter jets are produced by a consortium of four nations—Germany, Britain, Spain, and Italy. While London leads the negotiations, each country has veto power over sales, and Germany’s previous objections have been a key obstacle.
Scholz acknowledged the progress, stating that “Turkey is a member of NATO, and that’s why we always take decisions that lead to concrete deliveries.”
According to reports, Germany has recently approved several major arms sales to Turkey, including anti-aircraft missile systems worth several hundred million euros.
Economic relations between Turkey and Germany were also a key focus of the talks. Erdogan revealed that trade between the two countries now stands at $50 billion and expressed hope to increase this figure to $60 billion.
Migration was another topic of discussion, with Erdogan reiterating Turkey’s open-door policy toward Syrian refugees. “Our door has been open for refugees coming from Syria. It is still open,” he said, adding that this also applies to refugees from Lebanon.
