German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his first official visit to Turkey as Chancellor. The two leaders held a press conference after the meeting, discussing the topics they covered and their assessments of relations between the two countries.
Chancellor Merz pointed to the “enormous” potential of Turkey-Germany relations and said, “Come, let’s make better use of this potential in the months and years ahead.” Merz, who sees Turkey as “very close” to the European Union, emphasized their desire to remove obstacles together on the road to Europe.
Merz’s speech notably highlighted the development of strategic partnership and strategic cooperation with Turkey.
The German Chancellor stated, “During geopolitical times when major powers influence policy, Germans and Europeans must develop our strategic partnerships. There is no other way but to establish a good and deep partnership with Turkey”. He cited deepening cooperation in security, foreign policy, and economic sectors as examples.
So, what exactly do Merz’s comments, which are interpreted in the German press as an attempt to “bring new harmony to Turkey-Germany relations,” mean? Are they proposing a new perspective for Turkey’s EU membership, or are they offering Turkey a “strategic partnership” to transform the accession process into a different format?
According to Turkey experts Dr. Yaşar Aydın from SWP and CATS, no one fully knows what Merz means by strategic partnership at this point. Highlighting the current ambiguity of the strategic partnership, Aydın said, “Both sides understand it in different ways. Merz wants to increase cooperation with Turkey, especially to deepen it in security and defense industries. There is also a desire to act together against geopolitical shocks. They want to deepen cooperation in these areas, which they are calling strategic cooperation”.
Relationship with the Christian Union (CDU/CSU) is strained
The government formed by the coalition of Germany’s conservative Christian Union Parties (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) indicated in its coalition agreement that “joint action” is desired regarding security policy and immigration, and overcoming common geopolitical challenges, but did not include a perspective on EU membership.
The major partner in the CDU-Gre group, the Christian Union parties, have been hesitant since the beginning regarding Turkey’s EU membership and offering Turkey an EU perspective. Former CDU leader and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed the “privileged partnership” in 2004 as an alternative to full EU membership. While not supporting Turkey’s full EU accession, Merkel outlined a strong “neighborhood” framework involving joint actions in foreign and security policies. Due to setbacks in democracy and judicial independence in Turkey, the membership negotiations have been completely frozen since 2016.
However, Turkey’s increasingly influential role in migration policies and its mediator role in major conflicts such as the Ukraine War and the Gaza War have recently shifted European perceptions of Turkey. The speech made by Germany’s Chancellor Merz in Ankara also reflects this policy shift. The German government particularly aims to accelerate the deportation process of asylum seekers whose applications are rejected in Germany and to increase their numbers. Merz’s government also hopes to obtain support from Turkey on this issue.
“The path to the EU passes through the Copenhagen Criteria”
While Chancellor Merz emphasized the importance of cooperation with Turkey on migration, economy, foreign policy, and security issues, he also underlined that Turkey has not yet met the Copenhagen criteria in his response to Imamoğlu. Merz said, “The road to the EU passes through the Copenhagen Criteria, but decisions in Turkey have not met expectations regarding the rule of law and democracy.”
According to Dr. Yaşar Aydın, even though Turkey’s geopolitical importance has increased, it is not possible for the EU to tell Turkey “Do not apply the Copenhagen criteria.” Aydın stated that relations between Germany and Turkey have entered a transactional phase since the 2016 migrant crisis, but now they aim to transform this into a long-term strategic and security-focused relationship.
Describing Merz as having “passed the ball to Ankara,” Aydın interprets Merz’s statements as “We are no longer the obstacle in this matter.”
Criticism of Merz in Germany
In Germany, there are also criticisms of Merz’s approach to Turkey. Before the visit, the fact that Merz would not meet with opposition figures in Turkey sparked discussions, and his restraint in harsh criticisms during the press conference drew reactions.
Serdar Yüksel, Chairman of the German-Turkish Parliamentary Group, criticized Merz for promising rapprochement with the EU but not mentioning “political prisoners, press freedom restrictions, and the detention of opposition figures like Ekrem İmamoğlu” at all. SPD member Yüksel said this sends a “wrong signal” to Turkey. The German press also included comments stating that Erdoğan’s “authoritarian tendencies” should be openly condemned.
German Chancellor Merz, who visited Ankara with his wife, hinted at rapprochement with Europe to the Turkish government. However, whether President Erdoğan will implement the democratic reforms he calls “Ankara Criteria” remains uncertain.
