The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, received this Friday, November 17, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on his first visit to the European country in more than three years. A brief and tense meeting that makes clear the differences between the two regarding the war between Israel and Hamas that is being fought in the besieged Gaza Strip.
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It is his first visit in three years. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the German capital, Berlin, in the midst of the regional crisis in the Middle East due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, whose battlefield is the besieged Gaza Strip. “In difficult times, direct conversations are needed,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prior to the meeting.
Their positions regarding the Israeli incursion into the Palestinian enclave, which Erdogan describes as “genocide” and Scholz as “legitimate defense,” could not be more antagonistic. Germany is a clear ally of Israel in Europe and emphasizes that the trigger for the escalation was “the terrorist barbarism of Hamas” and that “there is no place for anti-Semitism in Germany”, while the Turkish leader appeals to solidarity among Muslims, accusing the Israeli State of acting “like a terrorist organization.”
This comes after 42 days of war on the Gaza Strip, which is mired in a humanitarian catastrophe that worsens daily. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 12,000 Palestinians have died from the Israeli bombings, which began on October 7 after Hamas carried out a surprise attack in Israel, killing some 1,200 people.
An uncomfortable visit
“(Israel) is committing state terrorism in the truest sense of the word, with a brutality that deliberately bombs civilians on the road, forcing them to flee their homes. And now I say clearly, with a clear conscience, that Israel is a terrorist state,” Erdogan said this week in front of the Turkish Parliament. Scholz pointed out that this qualification is “absurd.”
However, during his brief visit to Germany, the Turkish president toned down his criticism somewhat, aware of his host’s pro-Israeli stance, and suggested that Germany supports Israel out of a sense of guilt for the Holocaust. “I speak freely because we owe nothing to Israel,” he said during the joint press conference before closed-door talks between the two politicians.
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan ve ben Ortadoğu sorunu konusunda oldukça farklı bakış açılarına sahibiz. Tam da bu nedenle doğrudan görüşmek çok önemlidir. Ancak net olarak ifade edeyim: İsrail’in var olma hakkı Almanya için mutlaktır. Ülkemizde antisemitizme yer yoktur. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/VfAyOx1Gls
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) November 17, 2023
Two antagonistic positions regarding the war in Gaza
“Has Israel killed thousands of Palestinians? She has done it. Has it destroyed hospitals? Yes, she has. Have you attacked places of worship? Yes. Churches? Yes. As a Muslim, that disturbs me, but as a Christian, don’t the shootings in those churches bother you? Why don’t you oppose that? Take a stance against these acts too,” Erdogan questioned.
For his part, the German social democratic leader did not make direct allusions to the Turkish comments, but he did speak out on the matter, reiterating his unconditional support for Tel Aviv: “It cannot continue to be the case that a terrorist organization that governs this region undertakes these types of activities from there again and again with incredible military force. That must end, and it is a goal that must be supported,” stating again that Israel “has the right to defend itself.”
To which the Turkish leader responded by appealing for an immediate cessation of hostilities: “How can we solve the problem? That is, a humanitarian ceasefire. To what extent can Türkiye contribute, can Germany contribute? And how can we take these steps together? That’s what’s important now. Are we willing to do it or not? ”He questioned.
Germany opposes a ceasefire, but advocates for “humanitarian pauses” in the delivery of aid and facilitating the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population. “It is important to do everything possible to keep the number of civilian casualties as small as possible,” she said.
While the war in Gaza was the backdrop and both countries share the fear of a broader “conflagration” in the region; The reason for the meeting revolved around finding common ground on migration, trade and defense. Issues that affect both nations in the midst of deep differences.
Ukraine, migration and NATO are some of the common points
“We are united by the objective of limiting irregular migration. In 2016, Turkey and the European Union reached what I consider a good agreement. I am campaigning in the European Union to keep this agreement. It benefits us mutually. And we will also have to talk about the issue of returns,” said Scholz, referring to the agreements reached between Ankara and the European bloc during the so-called migration crisis seven years ago.
Both politicians emphasized common areas, such as the Russia-Ukraine grain deal. Both Berlin and Ankara agree on their intention to try to export Ukrainian grains through the Black Sea.
Other topics of the brief visit were the importance of their economic ties, but also in military matters. The chancellor did not respond to the question of whether he will approve the sale of 40 Eurofighter fighter jets, demanded by Ankara and in whose manufacture Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain are involved. The Turkish president noted that they can “get fighters in many other places.”
A meeting that makes clear the marked gaps between both partners, forced to look for common ground, but which ended sooner than expected. In theory, Erdogan should have stayed one more day in Germany to, among other things, attend a friendly soccer match between the two countries. “It is unlikely that Scholz would want to see him with him. On other occasions it would have been a nice gesture,” analyst Aydin Yasar explained to Reuters.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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