President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany on the sidelines of the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
The meeting addressed Türkiye–Germany bilateral relations, as well as regional and global developments.
President Erdoğan stated that advancing cooperation between Türkiye and Germany in many areas, particularly the defence industry and trade, would be in the interest of both countries.
Noting the importance of preserving the “transatlantic bond” while strengthening NATO’s European pillar, President Erdoğan underlined that Türkiye could support the European Union’s defence initiatives, provided that they are complementary to NATO. President Erdoğan stated that caution is needed against actions and provocations that could derail the understanding reached between Iran and the United States, and that Türkiye would continue working for lasting peace.
President Erdoğan also invited German Chancellor Merz to the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Antalya in November.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Merz said that, during his meeting with President Erdoğan, he once again stated that he attached great importance to working in close cooperation with Türkiye as a NATO partner, even solely because of its geostrategic position.
Pointing out that they also recognised the success achieved in Syria, German Chancellor Merz said, "This probably would not have been possible without the contribution of the President of Türkiye. In this respect, Türkiye is making a tremendous contribution to the stability of the region.”
German Chancellor Merz also stated that he asked President Erdoğan to use all the means at his disposal, in coordination with them, especially to persuade President Putin of Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Chancellor Merz further noted that they were planning the next round of high-level strategic cooperation consultations between the governments of Germany and Türkiye, which would be hosted by Germany.
