The two leaders will not meet in Berlin. The Greek prime minister will be in the German capital today and tomorrowwhile the visit of the Turkish president is scheduled for Friday. In terms of protocol, however, the visits are comparable. For Erdogan and Mitsotakis, these are the first visits since their re-election to power a few months ago. As head of state Erdogan will also be received by German President Steinmeier, before discussing “the whole range of political issues” with Chancellor Soltz over dinner.

The talks at the Chancellery will be at the center of the Greek Prime Minister’s visit. on the sidelines, Mitsotakis will meet with the leader of the German opposition, Friedrich Merzwhere the two politicians are expected to emphasize the close ties between the conservative CDU and New Democracy.

There is no information on the agenda of the summit talks in Berlin. We can assume that developments in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Western Balkans will be the dominant topics. While there is broad agreement between Athens and Berlin on these issues, the German and Turkish positions differ greatly. This is especially true in assessing developments in and around Gaza. Not only for historical reasons, Germany, like few other countries, is uncompromisingly on Israel’s side. Turkey and its president in particular are the harshest critics of Israeli policy in the world. Whether Ankara – as in the Ukraine issue – can take on a mediating role, as it is the only country that maintains active relations with both Hamas and Israel, remains to be seen. We can assume that this will be one of the topics when Solz and Erdogan meet.

For Germany, Turkey is an important and at the same time difficult partner. About three million people of Turkish origin live in Germany, more than anywhere else except Turkey. Although many have taken German citizenship, the integration of these people into German society is anything but a success story. In discussions about the rise of anti-Semitism since war broke out in the Middle East, mosques – some of which are funded by the Turkish state – have become a political issue. “We need German mosque communities, not Turkish ones,” is one of the opposition’s demands. It is unlikely that Erdogan and Soltz will find common ground on this sensitive issue for Ankara.

Ronald Maynardous

The great issue of immigration

In contrast to German-Turkish relations, relations between Germany and Greece are characterized by harmony. This was not always the case, as long as we remember the years of the economic crisis. Mitsotakis’ visit comes “at a time when major problems between Greece and Germany do not exist”, comments a Greek morning newspaper. In the last two to three years a profound normalization of relations has taken place. A decisive factor in this transformation is the overcoming of the economic and financial crisis. Gone are the days when German politicians taught lessons with a raised finger and ordered Athens, in cooperation with the “institutions”, to implement an often painful austerity policy.

Accusations against Germany that Berlin unilaterally favors Ankara in Greek-Turkish have also ceased to exist. The reason is the de-escalation in the Aegean, which – it must not be forgotten – is also the result of discreet diplomatic mediation by Berlin. Certainly, the unresolved issue of reparations for World War II war crimes remains a thorn in bilateral relations. However, despite the known differences in the official positions, the decision of Mr. Mitsotakis this issue of not “poisoning” bilateral relations has given a positive impetus to the cooperation of the two countries.

An issue that particularly concerns Athens, Ankara and Berlin is immigration. It is important thatThe three governments – Greece, Turkey and Germany – have a common interest in renewing the 2016 refugee deal between Turkey and the European Union. “We need a new agreement with Turkey that is beneficial for both sides. For this we need Germany with its special relations with Turkey”, explained the Greek Minister of Immigration Dimitris Kairides the strategic need for close cooperation with Berlin. For a long time now, immigration has dominated political debates in Germany as well. A Greek-Turkish agreement and the updating of the EU-Turkey agreement serves Germany’s interests. Therefore, we are dealing with a classic win-win case. For the agreement to succeed, the rapprochement between Athens and Ankara must continue. This is one more reason why Olaf Solz will encourage Erdogan and Mitsotakis to continue the course of recession between them.

Dr. Ronald Maynardous is a political analyst and commentator and Principal Researcher of ELIAMEP.