Chancellor Mertz meets in Ankara with President Erdogan. Bilateral cooperation seems to be entering a new phase, with Germany considering Turkey a valuable partner in the new geopolitical environment. Response from Istanbul

Today, Friedrich Merz is making his first official visit to Turkey since taking office last May. The German chancellor arrived in Ankara last night with his wife, Charlotte, at the invitation of the Turkish president.

Before the main talks that will take place at the presidential complex in Bestepe, where the meeting with President Erdogan will take place, Mertz will visit the Atatürk Mausoleum and the German Embassy. According to the program, the two leaders are expected to hold a joint press conference after the bilateral meeting and the consultations of their delegations.

The aim is to strengthen bilateral cooperation

The visit is significant and comes just two days after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Ankara and sealed a deal to supply 20 aircraft from Britain to Turkey. The chancellor of Germany, which is part of the Eurofighter consortium along with Spain and Italy, appears to be taking a pragmatic stance, aiming primarily for a strategic and defense partnership with Turkey – despite being heavily criticized by the opposition and human rights groups for the Turkish government’s anti-democratic stance at home.

However, according to information, Mertz is not expected to have meetings with opposition officials, nor statements of support for the imprisoned former mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu. Germany’s goals are now different, priority is security, strategic agreements, technology and stability in Europe. And in these, Turkey seems to be considered of paramount importance either as a strategic partner or as a mediator – for example in difficult geopolitical issues, such as in Gaza or in the talks with Russia.