Human Rights Watch urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to condemn Turkey’s repression of opposition figures and the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. The opposition leader, viewed as a rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has faced pretrial detention since March on corruption charges he denies. Turkish prosecutors recently filed new espionage accusations against him. Merz avoided naming İmamoğlu but admitted Turkey’s legal and democratic standards still fall short of European expectations. Erdoğan defended the judiciary, saying courts must act when anyone violates the law.
Germany and Turkey Push Strategic Alignment
During his first official visit to Ankara, Merz called for a deeper strategic partnership with Turkey to confront global challenges. Standing beside Erdoğan, he highlighted Turkey’s key role in mediating conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. His visit followed the finalisation of a multi-billion-euro deal between Turkey and the United Kingdom for 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Germany, a member of the production consortium, recently withdrew its objections to exporting the aircraft to Turkey. Reports also indicate Germany supports Turkey’s participation in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE), a €150 billion defence initiative strengthening Europe’s military capacity. The programme includes non-EU members, though Greece rejects Turkey’s involvement, citing unresolved maritime disputes. Merz avoided mentioning SAFE but insisted on closer cooperation, declaring that Europe must expand strategic ties and cannot exclude Turkey.
Clashing Views on Gaza and Global Conflicts
Divisions emerged when both leaders addressed Gaza. Merz reiterated Germany’s unwavering solidarity with Israel since the Holocaust while stressing that this does not mean unconditional approval of Israeli policies. He repeated his criticism of Israel’s military actions, arguing that Hamas could have prevented civilian deaths by freeing hostages and surrendering. Erdoğan condemned Israel’s conduct, accusing it of committing genocide and using starvation as a weapon. He asserted that Israel possesses nuclear weapons while Hamas does not and accused Germany of ignoring this imbalance, asking pointedly, “Can’t you see this?”
