Merz plans visit to Türkiye in October, envoy says

BERLIN

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is planning to visit Türkiye in the coming weeks, Ankara’s Ambassador to Berlin, Gökhan Turan, has announced.

Speaking at an event in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Turan said that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will visit Ankara in October, followed by Merz’s visit within a week or two.

Turan was appointed to Berlin at the end of January.

During his remarks, Turan also said that Germany is Türkiye’s most important trading partner in Europe.

“The trade volume between the two countries stands at around $50 billion. Millions of people are employed through these commercial ties. This is a relationship based on mutual interests.”

Addressing visa procedures, Turan noted that Türkiye expects particular facilitation for businesspeople.

“We understand that the German authorities are working on certain facilitations, especially for our businesspeople. However, we want this process to be accelerated and further simplified,” the ambassador said.

Türkiye are engaging in constructive dialogue with the German side on this matter and hopes to see results soon, Turan noted.

Merz and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in person for the first time in May during the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, Albania.

German government sources indicated that Merz “warmly accepted” Erdoğan’s invitation to visit Türkiye during that encounter.

Weeks after the Tirana summit, Berlin approved the sale of 40 Eurofighter fighter jets to Türkiye.

The two also held talks in June on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the Hague.

“After three and a half years of this terrible and bloody war in Ukraine, I asked President Erdoğan to use his influence on Russia so that [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin could be brought to the negotiating table and a peaceful solution could finally be found,” Merz said on the meeting.