Both Chancellor Olaf Solz and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoganduring their press appearance earlier this evening, ahead of their working dinner at the chancellery.

“There is no room for anti-Semitism in our country – whether politically or religiously motivated, from the right or the left, from home or abroad,” the chancellor stressed, and reiterated Germany’s “unwavering solidarity” with Israel. “Israel’s right to exist is indisputable. Israel has the right to defend itself under international law. At the same time, we say that every life is equally important and, just as we are against anti-Semitism in Germany, we are also against the marginalization of the five million Muslims living in the country,” he added. “No one is talking about the thousands of Palestinians that Israel has killed,” Mr. Erdogan countered, referring to Palestinian “hostages” held by the Israelis in prisons and stressing that Turkey – unlike Germany – is not guilty of of Israel and therefore can speak clearly. However, the two leaders agreed that the only sustainable solution for the region is that of two states.

“It is no secret that we have different – sometimes very different – views on the current crisis. But we share the concern for a generalized ignition in Middle East and despite the differences, it is important that we talk directly,” said the chancellor, who once again directly condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel. Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, argued that the world “continually talks about Hamas, but is silent about Israel’s response and the deaths in Gaza” and referred to a huge disparity in equipment between the two sides, arguing that the Israelis have nuclear weapons, but they lie and deny it. “Gaza actually doesn’t exist anymore. It has been leveled. There are 13,000 dead Palestinians, women, elderly and children, as well as hostages on the Israeli side,” he said, referring to the destruction of hospitals, churches and mosques. “Although the bombing of hospitals and the killing of children are not permitted by the Torah. Not even in the Declaration of Human Rights. Shall we remain silent? If we don’t speak up, if we do nothing, we will pay the price, as history shows. And the psychology of guilt is not the right approach. We are not guilty towards Israel. If we were, perhaps we wouldn’t be able to speak so clearly either. We have not experienced the Holocaust. It is important to respect people. And as prime minister I have spoken clearly against anti-Semitism. We have no guilt towards anyone,” he underlined, indirectly referring to Germany and the Holocaust of the Jews by the Nazis.

However, the two politicians emphasized that they want to cooperate in order to achieve “humanitarian truces” in the region, while the Turkish president also spoke of a ceasefire. “If she Turkey and Germany succeed, then we could free the region from constant conflicts,” Tayyip Erdoğan pointed out.

A German journalist asked the Turkish president to explain his recent statements about a “terrorist state”, “genocide” and “fascism” on behalf of Israel, asking if he supports the right of the state of Israel to exist and why he describes Hamas as a “liberating force “, when its NATO partners consider it a terrorist organization. Tayyip Erdoğan responded by stressing that Turkey is not “any NATO country, but one of the five most important”, he recalled that “thanks to Turkey” 3.5 million tons of grain were exported from Ukraine to Europe and Africa and he referred to thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel and bombings of hospitals, churches and mosques. “As a Muslim, I have a problem with that, you, as a Christian, don’t? But there is no reaction to this, when there should be”, he said addressing the journalist and emphasized that he does not separate Muslims and Christians. Regarding the possibility of his country acquiring Eurofighter fighter jets, of which Germany is also a co-producer, he stated that “fighters are also manufactured by other countries, we can buy elsewhere”, to conclude by instructing the journalist: “You should ask questions which are human. Questions that show you have a conscience so we can answer them, not questions like that.”

Mr. Solz, however, thanked his interlocutor for Turkey’s mediation in the export of grain from Ukraine and added that Berlin is seeking new regulations, as Russia has withdrawn from the relevant agreement a few months ago.

During the press conference, the question of the European perspective of Turkey, which has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999, was also raised. “We hope that the negotiations will continue, the Customs Union will be modernized and the regime of travel visas will be liberalized. For 52 years we have been trying to get closer, stressed the Turkish president. Referring to the problems with the export of German armament systems to Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan expressed the hope that “our NATO partner Germany will take decisive steps for progress”.