Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to increase the return of rejected asylum seekers to Turkey. The Chancellor emphasized that “a robust mechanism” must exist for this, as German government circles said on Friday evening after the two-hour dinner in the Chancellery. A joint working group should soon present the results.
On the controversial topic of the conflict in the Middle East, the conversation focused on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the release of Hamas hostages and concerns about regional escalation. They also said they discussed the longer-term prospects for the Gaza Strip and the conflict in the Middle East. “The Chancellor underlined Germany’s position of solidarity with Israel and clearly condemned Hamas’s terrorist attack.”
“Terror state” and “fascism”: Erdogan does not repeat the accusations
Erdogan’s visit to Germany, the first in almost four years, was controversial due to his harsh verbal attacks on Israel over the Gaza war. The Turkish president condemned the killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians in the October 7 terrorist attack, but later described the Hamas responsible for it as a “liberation organization.” On the other hand, he accused Israel of “genocide” (genocide) in the Gaza Strip and “fascism”, described the country as a “terrorist state” and questioned its right to exist.
However, during the press conference with Scholz, Erdogan avoided further escalation. Even when asked, he did not repeat the accusations of genocide and fascism against Israel. He also did not again question Israel’s legitimacy and refrained from calling Hamas a “liberation organization.”
New peaks against Israel and Germany
However, there were new tips from the Turkish president. He accused Israel of holding more hostages than Hamas’ more than 200 in the Gaza Strip. There have been “hostages and prisoners” in the hands of Israel for years and “many more” than in the hands of Hamas. What exactly Erdogan was talking about remained unclear.
The Turkish president veiledly accused Germany of overprotecting Israel because of its historical guilt in the Holocaust. Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians, destroyed hospitals and bombed places of worship and churches. “Why is there no response?” he asked. He himself could speak freely, “because we owe Israel nothing,” Erdogan said. His country was not involved in the Holocaust. There was no comment from Scholz.
The chancellor had already dismissed Erdogan’s verbal attacks against Israel before the conversation as “absurd.” During the press conference, he made sure not to add fuel to the fire. “It is no secret that we have very different views on the conflict,” he said.
Both politicians agreed that in the short term a humanitarian ceasefire was needed to supply the civilian population and in the long term a two-state solution with peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians was needed.
Rapid expansion of imam training agreed
After the conversation, a long list of the results of the conversation was distributed from German government circles. The two agreed on a rapid expansion of imam training in Germany, in order to gradually put an end to the deployment of imams from Turkey. Scholz also promised Erdogan support in rebuilding educational institutions after the devastating earthquake in February this year, which killed tens of thousands of people.
The two also agreed “that Russia continues to be urgently called upon” to end the war of aggression against Ukraine. The Chancellor promoted Turkey’s upcoming ratification of Sweden’s accession to NATO and acknowledged the easing of relations between Turkey and Greece. Erdogan will also travel to Athens on December 7.
Erdogan: Not dependent on Eurofighter
Shortly before Erdogan’s arrival, Turkey insisted on a German yes to the purchase of Eurofighter aircraft. Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Thursday that Turkey planned to buy 40 fighter jets and had already received approval from Britain and Spain. Now they want to convince Germany. Scholz did not comment at the press conference on whether Germany would agree to the export.
A yes to arms exports is considered unlikely. For years, the federal government has approved only a small amount of military equipment to its NATO partner Turkey. During the joint press conference, Erdogan said there are many countries that produce fighter jets, not just Germany. “You can of course also get this from other countries.” (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
