Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a joint press conference shortly before their meeting on Friday night in Berlin.

A significant part of the Turkish president’s statements were dedicated in the developments surrounding the war in Gaza and, using harsh languagewondered if “we will stay with our hands crossed”, vwhile places of worship and hospitals are affected. “The bombing of hospitals and the killing of children do not exist in the Torah. You cannot do these things. How do they kill these children here?’ he emphasized.

“We have no debt to Israel. Those in debt cannot speak freely. We do not carry the burden of the Holocaust. Our respect for man is different. I am a leader who first took a stand on anti-Semitism in my prime ministership. We don’t owe anyone because of this.” stated the presence of the German chancellor.

On the subject of hostages the Turkish president argued that Israel is holding many more hostages. “There is talk of an exchange of hostages. When you say hostages, what is the number of hostages in Israel and, what is the number of hostages that Hamas is holding on the other side?” he noticed.

Unfolding the agenda of the upcoming talks, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would discuss with the German chancellor and the migratorywhile for the Euro-Turkish relations he mentioned that “We have long had justified expectations regarding the Customs Union and the liberalization of visas (including for Turkish citizens traveling to the EU). For 52 years, Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the EU. We will discuss speeding up visa procedures for our citizens until visa liberalization is achieved.”

Tayyip Erdogan was also mentioned in the Ukraine war, stressing that Turkey is one of the top NATO countries, a country in the top five. “Turkey is not just any country in NATO” said and commented: “Regardless of who has, what view in NATO, whose side is everyone on between Russia and Ukraine? Of Ukraine… We are talking with both Ukraine and Russia. But we were the ones who transported 33 million tons of grain from the corridor to Europe and Africa.”

Regarding Turkey’s request for Eurofighter fighter jets, which it seeks to procure in place of the F-35s blocked by the US, the Turkish president said that “Germany may or may not give them. Is Germany the only country in the world that produces fighter jets? Currently, Turkey has reached an important point in the field of unmanned combat aircraft.”