A significant diplomatic development: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travelled to Ankara for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to engage on major international issues.
Key dimensions of the meeting include:
A focus on the war in Ukraine and Germany-Turkey cooperation within NATO and the wider European security architecture.
Discussions on the conflict in Gaza and Turkey’s mediating role in the Middle Eastern peace process
Migration and asylum policy: exploring how Turkey and Germany can cooperate on migration flows and return of rejected asylum-seekers.
A broader goal: resetting German-Turkish relations toward a strategic partnership rather than a purely transactional one.
For professionals in diplomacy, international relations, migration policy or security planning: this meeting signals a pivot to more pragmatic, outcomes-oriented cooperation between Berlin and Ankara. The ripple effects may inform migration frameworks, defence procurement, and multilateral peace efforts alike.
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