Human Rights Watch urged Friedrich Merz to condemn Turkey’s crackdown on its opposition, including the detention of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
During his first official visit to Ankara, Merz called on Europe to strengthen its strategic partnership with Turkey to meet global challenges.
Speaking beside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he praised Turkey’s mediation in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
His visit followed Turkey’s multi-billion-euro deal with the United Kingdom for 20 Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
Germany, part of the consortium that builds the aircraft, recently dropped its long opposition to exporting them to Turkey.
Defence Cooperation and Regional Disputes
Reports indicated that Germany now supports Turkey’s inclusion in the European defence initiative, Security Action for Europe (SAFE).
SAFE, a €150 billion programme, aims to boost Europe’s military strength and allows non-EU countries such as Turkey to join.
Greece opposes Turkey’s entry, demanding that Ankara withdraw its threat of war linked to Aegean Sea disputes.
Merz did not mention SAFE directly but stressed the need for stronger cooperation.
He said Germany and Turkey must better use their relationship’s potential in the coming years.
He added that the world had entered a new geopolitical era shaped by great-power politics.
He insisted that Europe must deepen its strategic partnerships, especially with Turkey.
Human Rights and Gaza Create Tensions
Differences appeared during the joint press conference over human rights and the Gaza conflict.
Merz avoided naming İmamoğlu but noted that Turkey’s recent decisions fell short of Europe’s standards for democracy and rule of law.
Erdoğan defended Turkey’s judiciary, saying every citizen must face justice when violating the law.
He argued that judicial authorities act as required in a state governed by law.
On Gaza, Merz reaffirmed Germany’s historic support for Israel since its founding after the Holocaust.
He said that this commitment did not mean unconditional approval of every Israeli government decision.
He condemned Hamas for refusing to release hostages and surrender, saying that act alone could have ended the war.
Erdoğan accused Israel of using starvation and genocide as weapons and criticised Germany for ignoring the power imbalance.
He claimed Hamas lacked bombs or nuclear weapons, unlike Israel, and challenged Berlin’s silence by asking, “As Germany, can’t you see this?”
