Germany and Turkey agree to disagree on Gaza

The two countries trade barbs on Gaza war, but economic ties remain top priority

Reuters

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, November 17, 2023.

Germany and Turkey agree to disagree on Gaza

Omer Onhon

last update on 20 Nov 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s one day visit to Germany, the first since 2020, came at a time of important developments both in terms of bilateral and international relations. Erdogan and Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, held discussions over a full agenda. The joint press conference before their meeting was mainly on Israel's military venture in Gaza.

President Erdogan, who urged fellow Muslim countries to put pressure on the USA, Germany and others supporting Israel, used his visit to do just that. The two leaders agreed on a two state solution and protection of civilians but their differences on the rest were deep.

Like many others, Germany is also appreciative of Turkey’s role in the war in Ukraine, especially the part it played in the grain deal, but on Gaza, the other major international crisis, it is a different case.

Germany is unequivocally on Israel's side. It is against calling for a cease-fire, citing the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and Israel’s security. Turkey, on the other hand, has stood by the Palestinians in the strongest terms. While Germany, like many other countries, considers Hamas a terrorist organization, Erdogan describes it as a political movement, fighting for the liberation of its homeland. Erdogan has blamed Germany and other European Union countries for failing to speak out against Israel's targeting of civilians.

Tortuous road to join the EU

As always, the future of Turkey-EU relations has been an important agenda item during Erdogan-Scholz talks, especially as the meeting took place days before the European Commission was due to release a report on Turkish membership.

Turkey is geopolitically a very important country for the EU. There are many issues of common interest and cooperation, but Turkey’s bid for EU membership has stalled and negotiations have frozen since 2019.

Uneasy bilateral relations between Turkey and several EU members have played a major role in that. Germany is a key EU member with significant influence on Turkey’s membership process and despite many common interests and bonds, it has always been wary of Turkey’s membership. Germany affirms Turkey’s status as an EU candidate country but considers its accession negotiations as “open-ended”.

Germany affirms Turkey's status as an EU candidate country but considers its accession negotiations as "open-ended".

Defence ties remain problematic

Defense relations between the two countries are important but again, not free of trouble. At times, Germany has applied sanctions on arms sales to Turkey or set conditions, such as non-use in areas beyond Turkey's borders. Some restrictions are still in place.

Minister of National Defense of Turkey, Yaşar Güler, made a surprise statement during the 2024 budget discussions at the Parliament earlier this month, informing the public of Turkey's plans to procure 40 "Eurofighter Typhoons".

The German and the Turkish flag flutter in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

The fighter jet is the product of a joint venture of four European countries, including Germany. The Turkish Minister of Defence stated that the UK, Spain and Italy want to go ahead with the sale to Turkey and they are trying to convince Germany. Apparently, Turkey is seeking to buy the Eurofighter to compensate, at least partly, for delays and difficulties in buying F-16s from the US.

At the joint press conference with the German Chancellor, Erdoğan lashed back at a German journalist who asked a question about the purchase. He said "don't threaten us with these, Germany is not the only country selling fighter jets", which, among other things, indicates that Erdoğan is tense over the issue.

Minister of National Defense of Turkey, Yaşar Güler, made a surprise statement during the 2024 budget discussions at the Parliament earlier this month, informing the public of Turkey's plans to procure 40 "Eurofighter Typhoons".

Among the defense related files of mutual interest is Sweden's NATO membership.

President Erdogan recently submitted to the Turkish Parliament, a protocol for Sweden's admission into NATO. The first step is a discussion in the Foreign Affairs committee, which took place just before the President's visit to Germany. The members of the committee listened to a rather positive presentation by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs but decided to postpone their deliberations on the issue to an unspecified date.

Another issue of common interest for Turkey and Germany is immigrants and asylum seekers. Germany is the major destination in Europe and a few years ago, hundreds of thousands of Syrians found their way there.

Germany is the main beneficiary of the EU-Turkey deal on people traveling illegally through Turkey and this is still a major issue of cooperation between the two countries.

Turkey has been pursuing visa liberalization with the EU, but it now faces increasing rejection rates of visa applications for visits to the EU and Germany in particular.

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