German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul next weekend, deputy German government spokesperson Wolfgang Büchner announced Friday.
The two leaders will hold a press conference following their meeting, Büchner told reporters in Berlin.
Buchner said he could not provide any more details on the content of the meeting, noting that the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as migration, bilateral relations and economic policies, were expected to be on the agenda.
He said the war in Ukraine would be an important topic during the visit, emphasizing Türkiye’s role as an “important partner” on the matter.
When asked about the attitude of the German government on the long-discussed sale of some 40 Eurofighter jets to Türkiye, Büchner insisted he was unable to reveal anything about it.
Ankara is expecting “positive signals from Germany” on the sale, diplomatic sources said Thursday, adding “technical talks” were still underway.
Türkiye hopes to boost its defense capabilities with 40 Eurofighter Typhoons. Germany is involved in the production of the Eurofighters, and Berlin’s approval is required for an export deal.
Berlin and Ankara are also at loggerheads over Israel’s war on Gaza.
Erdoğan is a virulent critic of Israel and often describes its brutal campaign in Gaza as “genocide” while the German government, despite growing public pressure, remains one of the strongest supporters of Israel. Scholz has repeatedly said that his country bears special responsibility for Israel due to its Nazi past.
