Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, arrived in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday, with both of them hoping to find common ground on trade, migration and defence, despite views that are far apart on Israel and Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reports.
According to the report, Erdogan’s first visit since 2020, comes ahead of municipal elections at which he hopes to win back the cities of Ankara and Istanbul. Scholz’s backing for better access to the European Union market and visa liberalisation would be a big gift to voters buffeted by high inflation and an economic crisis.
A spokesperson for Scholz declined to speculate on how Germany would proceed with Erdogan’s request to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoon warplanes – a move that would need Scholz’s support since Germany is part of the consortium that builds them.
For Scholz, who heads a fractious three-way coalition that is dealing with a court ruling that blew a 60-billion-Euro hole in his budget and a row over the economy and rising immigration, Ankara’s role in stemming migration to the EU makes it an indispensable partner.
